09.10.2024
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Environmental objects for cigarette butt pollution installed at Vecaki beach
New Steps in promoting sustainable collaboration between social and large enterprises
Read more about project news here
A series of six seminars will be held across Latvia during September and October to find solutions to improve waste management and implement circular economy principles. The seminars will seek solutions for improving waste management and moving towards a circular economy through discussions and exchanges of experience between municipalities, the waste management sector and environmental specialists from non-governmental organisations. Each workshop will facilitate work in groups to address a specific waste management challenge and find solutions. The workshops will include presentations and will conclude with an opportunity to visit various sites related to waste management or the circular economy.
List of workshops:
How to facilitate the return of files and the retention of materials?
Seminar on 19 September, Getliņi Eko;
Seminar on 2 October, ZAAO Urda;
How to improve waste segregation in public places and events?
Workshop on 8 October, Liepaja RAS;
How to improve information and service availability for more efficient waste sorting?
Workshop 16 October, Jēkabpils;
How to improve the sorting of bio-waste?
Workshop on 23 October, Daugavpils;
How to reduce construction waste and implement circular construction?
Workshop on 30 October, Cesis.
For 13 years, every summer for a whole month, the "My Sea" campaign is organised. For the last two years, the campaign has been part of the LIFE Integrated Project "Waste to Resources", during which participants participate in a coastal hike from the Estonian border to the Lithuanian border spanning 500 km, monitoring marine litter and cleaning up the coastline of the litter they find.
This year, marine monitoring was carried out in 44 monitoring areas with together 550 volunteers. It found that 75.9% of the waste on the beach was made up of various plastics and polymer materials, followed by paper and cardboard (8.4%) and metal (4.8%). The most common are smoking waste (32.6%), plastic food packaging (8.2%) and paper and cardboard pieces (7.2%). Of the 15 most common types of waste found, 10 are plastic.
In 2023, the "My Sea" campaign cleaned up 16 481 items of litter from the coast, 75.7% of which was made up of various plastics and polymer materials. 7% was made up of various paper and cardboard waste and 6.7% of metal. By type of waste, almost a third (32.2%) was smoking waste, non-identifiable plastic pieces (10.6%), plastic food packaging (8.9%), identifiable paper and cardboard pieces (5.3%).
As can be seen, plastics and polymeric materials still make up the majority of waste, with smoking waste being the most common type of waste again this year.
Overall, the monitoring data shows an 11% reduction in litter on the beach compared to 2023.
Read more about the monitoring data
As part of the "My Sea" campaign, a symbolic painting by artist Madara Zālāne titled "Daughter of the Sea" was created in the center of Saulkrasti. It serves as a reminder that waste thrown into rainwater drains ends up in the sea. Monitoring participants also confirmed this, finding an average of 120 cigarette waste items for every 100 meters of coastline.
From 19 to 24 August in Liepāja, after a four-year break, the EcoSchools Summer Forum, organised by the The Foundation for Environmental Education Latvia, took place again.This year more than 230 young people and teachers participated in the event. Participants attended a variety of sessions related to environmental education and protection, focusing on sustainable product design and climate neutrality, circular economy principles and their integration into everyday life, and learning about climate emotions. Young people and educators analysed the implementation of circular economy in schools and proposed solutions for a green school of the future to be implemented during the Action Days in November. The Forum included lectures, exchange sessions, excursions and a variety of interesting networking activities.
The City of Cesis does not lose sight of its goal to be a green and sustainable city, even when celebrating. The Cēsis Town Festival in July was not only colourful, but also responsible and environmentally friendly. Based on the Latvian Fund for Nature's Guide to Organising Nature and Climate Friendly Events, the municipality has prepared guidelines for caterers, encouraging them to use local, organic ingredients, offer vegetarian dishes and different portion sizes to reduce food waste. To promote sustainable living, visitors were encouraged to arrive on foot or by bicycle, use deposit cups and refill their water bottles.
Food waste sorting was also introduced for the first time this year, and the amount of waste produced was measured in order to better plan future waste reduction measures.
Within the framework of the LIFE Integrated Project "Waste to Resources", the Regional Centre for Education and Competence in Circular Economy "Daibe" has completed the equipment of the Centre. The centre is designed to inform the population about the circular economy and environmental protection. An interactive exhibition has been installed in the centre, which allows visitors to get to know the principles of circular economy in an unusual way. Laboratory equipment, including a spectrophotometer and a thermoelectric analyzer, have also been installed, allowing visitors to analyse the chemical composition of waste water. In addition, the centre has a 3D printer and a print-making machine. Visitors will be given the opportunity to go on a virtual reality learning tour to explore the Centre's site in an interactive way. The target audience for the new centre is adults from the surrounding municipalities and the waste management industry.
In spring 2024, the awareness campaign "Let the old asbestos roof go!" encouraging people to dispose of asbestos-containing materials in their homes responsibly and to landfill the waste. A study on asbestos waste volumes was carried out before the launch of the awareness campaign in 2023 and estimated that the total volume of asbestos-containing slate roofs in Latvia is around 1 million tonnes. A Guide to dealing with asbestos-containing waste has also been produced, providing comprehensive information that is essential for everyone in Latvia who has asbestos-containing materials in their possession.
On 2 May 2024, a Support Programme was launched (with €350,000 of funding available) to ensure the safe packaging, transport and landfilling of household stocks of asbestos-containing slates for human health. Poor and low-income persons, as well as Latvian Families of Honour, could apply for the support programme and hand over between 0.2 and 3 tonnes of asbestos-containing slates per household. Applications for the Support Programme closed on 19 August.
In total, the Support Programme received 811 applications in three application rounds, of which 254 were approved. The 3rd round of service delivery is currently underway. Therefore, the exact total amount of asbestos-containing slates collected will be known after the completion of the service and the collection of information.
Unfortunately, the funding available under the Asbestos Support Programme has been insufficient to support all applications.
Read more about asbestos waste
In order to promote public awareness of environmental sustainability, the Regional Circular Economy Education and Competence Center "Daibe" implemented the first module of the adult non-formal education programme “Effective Communication and Public Relations: Public Information, Engagement, and Campaign Development on Circular Economy and Environmental Sustainability”. In May and June, 26 public relations specialists acquired both theoretical and practical knowledge during a four-day course. Participants improved their skills in using resources responsibly and reducing negative environmental impacts, such as energy efficiency, waste management and sustainable agriculture. Programme director Ieva Freimane-Mikhailova said:
“Our goal is to raise awareness of the importance of the circular economy and the environment, as well as to provide practical skills for public relations specialists to effectively communicate these complex issues. Educating and involving the public is a crucial step toward achieving real change and promoting sustainable development.”
All participants received a certificate of completion of the non-formal education programme licensed by the Cesis Municipality.
Co-creation workshops offer shared and rented equipment, tools, space and technical support to bring ideas to life. Such workshops are becoming increasingly popular in cities across Latvia.
From 3D printers to sewing machines, co-working workshops offer a range of equipment, facilities and like-minded people to help realise new ideas and learn skills. Often there are also materials available for recycling.
The principle of sharing promotes a circular economy by encouraging less individual purchasing and more sharing.
Currently, co-working spaces can be found in Valmiera, Cesis, Jelgava, Olaine, Dobele, Ventspils, Kuldīga, Lielvārde, Aizkraukle, Liepāja and Riga. They have been set up on the initiative of both local authorities and non-governmental organisations.
"We hope that the development of more co-creation spaces will promote the sharing of things, the circular economy, and the emergence of new ideas and solutions, with local people working together. Who knows, perhaps a new product or innovation will emerge? It is also valuable to acquire simple and practical skills, such as making your own cosmetics, sewing curtains, or soldering a kettle," says Evija Ozola-Ozoliņa, the project manager of lietovelreiz.lv.Co-creation spaces and workshops can be found on the LIFE Integrated Project "Waste to Resources" platform www.lietovelreiz.lv on the Map. Available technical equipment can be found in the Catalogue.
The LIFE Integrated Project "Waste to Resources" closes its scientific competition. Students explored innovative options for food and bio-waste management, and out of eight student submissions, six were shortlisted for further evaluation. The third prize went to Daniela Dreslere from the Latvian University of Biosciences and Technology, with her research on the extraction of collagen from cod skin, inspired by her internship experience in a fish processing company. Second prize went to Antra Adiene from Riga Stradiņš University, who analysed food waste reduction in 3 other European countries based on the positive experience of France. The winner of the competition was Grēta Girvaite from Riga Technical University, Liepaja Branch, who developed a practical composting tool "GALA Garden", providing city dwellers with more convenient composting options.
''END Garden'' by Greta Girvaite
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