YE-2C

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Half of total greenhouse gas emissions come from resource extraction and processing. It is not possible to achieve the climate-neutrality target without transitioning to a fully circular economy. The new Circular Economy Action Plan is at the core of the European Green Deal, the EU roadmap towards climate neutrality. The circular economy model where value and resources are maintained in the economy for as long as possible and waste generation is minimized, reduces pressures on natural resources while boosting sustainable growth and jobs creation. It can make a decisive contribution to decarbonising the economy. The generation of waste in the Western Balkans has been increasing steadily over the last years due to economic development and increased consumption, currently being at around 1000kg/capita. While this is still lower than the EU average of 1700kg/capita, the very low recycling rates (below 3%, in comparison to the EU average of 44%) result in higher per capita amount of waste not being recycled. The Western Balkans will need to align with the single-use plastic legislation and to fully implement the modernized EU waste legislation, including its recycling and landfill reduction targets.

The overall goal of the project is engaging and empowering young people in circularity actions for transforming cities into circular and liveable for better opportunities for employment, clean environment and inclusiveness.

The project is linked to the horizontal priority environmental sustainability as it approaches a deepperspective of circular cities through adoption of circular economy principles. Additionally, the project is linked with the digital dimension as it aims using the digital- tools with the purpose of mapping the circularity of cities proposing actions for start-up businesses and sustainability.