LJUBLJANA, Slovenia - Europe's MOST ECO-CONSCIOUS capital?

In 2014, Ljubljana became the first European Capital to move towards Zero Waste. The city has managed to multiply its separate collection of organic waste and to reduce the amount of waste sent for disposal by 95% while maintaining waste management costs among the lowest in Europe. How? Snaga, the public company that provides waste management in the province of Ljubljana, adopted three main strategies:
‣ Introduction of a door-to-door collection system, specifically focused on the collection of organic waste
‣ Lower the frequency of collection for residual waste while keeping the collection of recyclables and organic waste the same
‣ Strong communication strategy focused on prevention and reuse to engage citizens.
After 14 years, data speak for themselves:
‣ Total waste generation decreased by 15 %
‣ Recycled or composted waste average went up to 68%
‣ The amount of waste sent to landfill decreased by 95 %
Some links:
‣ Ljubljana the leading European capital on path to Zero Waste society: www.gov.si/en/...
‣ The Independent names Ljubljana as one of the six best sustainable destinations:
www.gov.si/en/...
‣ Chasing zero waste: How Slovenia has become a European frontrunner of the zero waste cities movement: zerowastecitie...
‣ From no recycling to zero waste: how Ljubljana rethought its rubbish: www.theguardia...
‣ The story of Ljubljana: zerowastecitie...
‣ Chasing zero-waste: How Ljubljana has become Europe's recycling capital: newseu.cgtn.co...
‣ www.surovina.s...
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[@tudorm6838]

The Slovenian anthem has just been sung in Nice, at the end of the Tour de France for Tadej Pogačar, who entered the history of cycling with his third victory. Congratulations!

[@Zvecarka23]

I've been living last half of the year in Ljubljana and even though I've been here like a 100 times before, now that I moved I am even more fascinated with it.

[@footballhipster]

Watching this video made me realise and appreciate that I chose Ljubljana when I did my Erasmus for one from last September till February.

[@mirandremelj]

Also here in Switzerland, we have the same collecting places, even separating glas according to the color. I love cleanliess in Slovenia ss here in CH. I know, originaly comming from Maribor Slovenia. This 2 countries are really super clean , live it ❤

[@crazybaldman]

This is an aspirational city to emulate in this department, but to get enough people behind the effort is no small feat. Glad to see it works on some level.

[@CorvusCoroneCornix]

Love what you're doing and Lublijana is one of my favorites cities in the world. I was married to a half slovanian and you always remind me of her.

[@jeffsaviola2109]

Always amazed when in Slovenia .. drive down the major roads ( a-2 or a-3) not a single can .. paper nothing along the side of the road .. even when doing “ open kitchen “ they have had someone at the trash bins there to help you separate everything .. made me much more conscious when I came home !!!

[@MegaKorvus]

also to mention that Slovenia is one of the European countries most covered in forest (after Finland and Sweden, all things considered) - I say this thinking of what you say in the video in relation to the fact that approximately a third of the wood is used to make paper. it helps to put it in perspective ;) - maybe the subject of a future video ;)?

[@bertokts]

Greetings from Trieste! My town should learn a lot from Ljubljana!

[@freedomdance7]

Slovenija = najčišća i ekološki savršena zemlja. Znalo se reći da u Ljubljani možeš jesti sa poda, koliko je čisto. 👍

[@stephaniemanczuk7611]

You are so very, very delightful. We love your videos.

[@jeremiahlyleseditor437]

Good Video Barbara. It's good to see that your home country is almost number one in the world in eco friendliness. Welcome to America.

[@voyagersquaremuzika]

Pozdrav puca! Bio sam u Londonu mnogo puta i nisam opazio da ima smeća na ulicama,za tako veliko mjesto to je super!

[@Drew-Dastardly]

It's been over a decade but I have holidayed in Austria twice. Absolutely meticulous streets and no criminality. It made my UK head confused like I was experiencing Barbie World. When I took the train over the border into Italy everything changed. Graffiti, illegal criminals and garbage everywhere. I loved Napoli though, despite a terrorist attack by the Camorra I was 1 hour not involved lucky. I got to see Pompeii and Herculaneum.

[@Drew-Dastardly]

I'm saying I love the European respect for their neighbourhoods like Austria and Slovenia. Just don't import trash while you are trying to recycle trash in the cleanest way.

[@stevealford230]

@@Drew-Dastardly Don't let anyone in Western Europe or the US find out you said that... you'll face a tribunal, lose your job, and go straight to jail.

[@a3hmax913]

IT LOOKS MAGICAL 😮👍 meanwhile many big capitals in Europe are turning horrible.

[@darjasusnik3300]

You are amazing. So smart, funny. You say all the things that I have thought myself and never been abl e to put into words...and then some. I live in Toronto. I was born in Ljubljana . It's my life, my love...sound stupid? I don't care. Anyway, just spent two months there which just served to reinforce my love for my hometown, my birthplace. Just keep doing what you do. You are brilliant.

[@Duececoupe]

I grew up with recycling in Sweden decades ago, I've done 55 laps around the sun now. Less littering is the one thing where you can see an improvement instantly....we are one messy species! 😉😆😂😭 When you mentioned clothing, I thought about the jackets and trousers that I've used for 10 and 20 years and they haven't even had repairs yet, now that's quality! Slovenia and her neighbours of former Yugoslavia are all on my must visit list! Great video, as always! 🤗🐻🤗

[@harmoni121]

As one working at a recycling place it's crazy how much "trash" comes in per week even in a small city with 11k citizens in Sweden. Sadly lots of people are lazy and throws it wrong for different reasons 😆

[@jumbajaba]

Moving to ljubljana soon! Can't wait!

[@b.weltenbrand4078]

You Need to speak slovenian? 😅

[@carno.5911]

I am a simple man but nothing less one of excelent taste, i see new video from babera, i click & i like, even if wont be able to see it in the next hours. But i am sure i already know that it's very well filmed, creativly a piece of art &/or like in this case well researched & opinioned :)

[@hoibsh21]

Barbs is one of a kind.

[@carno.5911]

@@hoibsh21 ABSOFREAKINLUTLY!

[@ImperatorNaily]

Everyone: "How to bring importand topics to people?" Barbara: "Hold my Laško and my Vikycreme!"

[@ekisauruslux6795]

Keep it up

[@ronaldmacmillan8211]

Excellent!

[@martinutr]

I like your videos and this one made me subscribe. As a Canadian of Slovenian heritage(both my parents were born there) I have always been an avid recycler and a person who laments wasting almost anything. I always figured that this was partially due to my Slovenianess, but I figured most of it was due to my own unique way of seeing the world. Now I see that it is a part of my inner being and makes me even prouder to be of Slovenian heritage. 😊

[@silvanjancic1672]

spoštovanje zelo lepo pa tako ni smo v Ljublani

[@scottinphoenix739]

I wish every city was clean and free of litter, would make things much better.

[@edwil111]

Good news to hear about these Slovenian efforts. Its a matter of priorities. Near me S Lake Tahoe, Cal has banned plastic single use bottles for sale in their stores. Thats a start! I think single use plastic is the worlds biggest recycle problem. And it's YOU Barb..... a reason why Slovenian tourism is increasing so fast! 😛

[@madcow5833]

I just had an embarassing moment alone when I realized that Slovakia and Slovenia is not the same country

[@dorotam.2157]

I love your channell!

[@axlrose76]

2:23 People can be recycled? (subtitles)

[@JHenry-wv1xv]

Things seem to be going just as well in Germany - but it's for the most part a scam: packaging waste is largely burned in power plants and cement factories. It's getting better, fortunately... At first I thought your report from Ljubljana was too credulous, I did the research and found everything more than confirmed. Apparently your recycling is state of the art. And: your recycling factories are an export success, including battery recycling. Thank you for showing us how it actually works, Slovenia.

[@vanibron]

Ljubljana still uses a lot of paper. My mailbox is stuffed with some prospects from local shops. I should buy that paperless sticker at the post office. I just need to figure out what it's called in Slovenian 😆

[@mitjazelenc7526]

its called sticker for non comertial mail. Post guy wont stuffs your postbox with comercials flyers. I allmost dont get any paper post,...

[@NikoSkrbinec]

Hello, the yellow sticker for preventing commercial post flyers is called: Rumena nalepka proti reklamam. just go to any post office to get it!

[@youthberktempest]

hello i am new to the channel

[@readtherealanthonyfaucibyr6444]

My favorite part of this video was not a word spoken about CO2.

[@CaroAbebe]

Why, though?!

[@readtherealanthonyfaucibyr6444]

@@CaroAbebe It's not a real threat. It actually has made the world greener over the past few decades.

[@babiyarnazarismaily6207]

There are some people that know they will not live forever and they just dont care for the environment😂

[@gregjuicey]

As a Slovene i try my best separating waste...all the things you mentioned are very important, but also i see the future in digitalization - lessing the use of paper in workoplace, post, trading etc.

[@mestazapodjetja7504]

Just another fun fact Barbara, in Late 1990s paper collected on schools "old paper collection days" was burned and old paper for reusing in Količevo was bought from Italy:)

[@robertgross9180]

She is like watching Greta Stromberg with a brain.

[@belstar1128]

central Europe is getting smarter than northern Europe these days

[@Whiteshell204]

*Another great Horvat-PSA !*

[@keira4672]

i love the fact that people can be recycled up to seven times 🤣🤣🤣

[@DamjanZbodulja-bi7kl]

Sam naj poberemo foro Nemčija Hrvaška - za vračilo em embalaže v trgovino ❤. To bi bil2o zakon. Še grmovja in parki bi bili čisti.

[@beardoe6874]

I think it is crazy that "unboxing" videos have convinced manufacturers to make fancy trash (a.k.a. packaging). Plastic packaging is a problem, not plastics in general and plastic is one of the most recyclable materials, we just need to keep it out of the oceans so we don't get microplastics in everything. If retailers and manufacturers focused on selling products with minimal packaging designed for recyclability, it would be pretty easy to make all cities clean. Rural areas might not be able to justify recycling infrastructure but the solution is compostable packaging in areas like that. Personally I think it's a hassle dealing with the ammount of trash that my life generates so if I had better options (at the same price), I would go for minimal packaging, plastic recycling and even composting if I had space for a compost pile. As for the cleanliness of cities, that's a cultural thing. My city isn't the worst but it's pretty bad. I regularly see people emptying ashtrays and throwing trash out of car windows. It's probably not a big percentage of people who behave that way but a few percent is enough to create a lot of grime. On the other hand, our landfills are so clean we build housing over them sometimes... Just in case you missed it that last part was some rather sad sarcasm about a pretty stupid practice that does happen.

[@matjazwalland903]

As an individual, you don't have to do much to make things better! Garbage goes into the trash cans. The problem is when we have people who don't care where they throw their garbage, but I would happily fill their apartment with garbage and invite their friends to visit! Maybe then their pride and self-confidence will turn into shame and respect.

[@jasond1500]

Great video!! I noticed people on the right politically tend to favor actual solutions and identify real problems. Like trash and over consumption. I love the Ocean Cleanup guys are doing for example. I keep a couple case of bottled water in my basement for prepper stuff but for everyday I have a stainless steel thermos I fill up to drink, I started brewing my own coffee, I buy bulk as much as I can, and usually only fill up one trash bag a week.

[@jlburilov]

I would add that its actually plancton in the oceans that produces most of our O2. But trees are essential for inland rainfall, moisture retention, habitat, erosion prevention... Not to mention they provide shade, help to cool down city streets in the summer and just look gorgeous. And that the one thing in Slovenia we did wrong, was give the government the responsibility of dealing with the rubbish ones it was separated. Because SNAGA and other contractors can not recycle some things they are forces by policy (eu and slo) to ship it to places where they burn, dump in ocean or just leave it around. We should be doing more on microplastic retention in waist waters and on actual full circle recycling in our own country.

[@walterhassard8257]

So much humble brag. I love it. Top destination.we love LJ

[@user-hw4bb5qq7b]

I Love Slovenia ❤

[@danobrien155]

Hey long time no see 😊

[@Terrierized]

London and much of the UK is terrible with the tent cities and illegrants

[@NinjaZXRR]

lol not my town thankfully but the major cities they are everywhere

[@tunelos]

Wow! ❤Looking like Oradea Romania😊

[@rogerpalsgrove9678]

🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱

[@youcanttakemyDIGNITY]

Good Lord Horvat! 🥵❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 You have definitely embraced your femininity, and WE ARE HERE FOR IT 💋👀

[@aleshain5479]

Hm.... People can be recycled up to 7 time xD, ja vem da si hotla paper napisat v podnapise.

[@RahulSankrithya]

1:02 and thats the headlines!!! 😆❤

[@rastofikfak8069]

Vsa čast punca!

[@SamsungS-or1qf]

If you want to get with babe Barb, you need some major recycling skills 😂

[@roneteus]

Ah, The Luka Doncic Effect

[@belstar1128]

another central European win while western Europe tries hard to be environmental they are doing it in ways that make no sense

[@kuntakinte1986]

kako smo lahko ljudje reciklirani 7 krat?

[@mrrepurpose9596]

Breaking silence, but just to do this 😊

[@bitegoatie]

Underground units? Do you mean underground receptacles or bins or containers? That's nice, if so. Otherwise, I have no idea what "units" is intended to mean here. It is such a shame what a mess native English-speaking internet users have made of the language, confusing the hell out of everyone else. Cool video, by the way.

[@nevaf.s.5358]

Let me explain this a little more in detail. Those underground collectors are underground chambers for trash. On surface you can only see the nice, esteticly looking seainless steel bin, but it has a way bigger capacity as it looks like form above, since it has an underground chamber of several m3. (Mind you, those are also collectoin points for entire multiappartment buildings). It all goes underground and than when the trash collecting vehicle comes to collect the bulk of trash it opens up and lifts so they can empty the chamber. Hope this helps with the understanding of this principle.

[@wlbraun2024]

In Germany we separate our trash Paper, Bio, Recycleable. Streets in big cities though often look like a waste-dump themselves. Teaching people coming from the east of Europe commented badly on how bad it looks (and smells) in many places. Most horrible though: the left-overs of our Green Ecology protesters and their camps.

[@XrsN]

re: thumbnail-you look like Courtney cox lol

[@andorcor]

I still remember the info that said "when computers and internet will be around, anybody will use paper"... Ha! In Spain we change to pay to children to recycle paper to to pay taxes to bring ourselves paper to containers... that finally goes to normal trash. Just to complain European laws. It is cheaper to buy ships of paper to USA than to recycle our own paper. The same with plastics.

[@andorcor]

Apart of that, I love to listen your videos to improve my Globish English and your sense of humour: a kind of Dark Passenger of Dexter.

[@richardphelps2289]

Barbara I think I saw you on a piano prank video Zach Evans? Was that you?

[@xapha]

I like how conscious of the environment you are, but where I grew up we had seperate bins for plastics, paper, food and regular waste in the 90s. So, 2013 isn't anything to be bosting about...

[@renbe0]

I am not sure you got the point. First it was not 2013 it was 2002 (go to 1:35), second she was actually saying not that Slovenia started first but that after separation of Yugoslavia it picked up fast and after 2002 and basic separation of waste in continued to implement new environmental initiatives fast and is today the greenest capital in Europe and that is what she is boosting about (not separate bins). But if you want to be mean and misinterpreted I can not stop you...

[@paulczerny6772]

Yes and all taxpayers in the EU pay it

[@Butmunch666]

I dont agree on the paper recycling point. Recycling paper produces a looot of waste, you have to get the ink off and most of the paper comes from trees planted for specifically that purpose.

[@Gaston413]

As a German the word Ljubljanians breaks my toung. 🤪 My fault. 😅

[@JurijKozjak-r2k]

Is Ljubljaners better?!😊

[@stevealford230]

I see that you've met my ex.

[@jonjoh4885]

Ako ko to more platit wow

[@Resurrected-Silverbeard]

Based solely off the thumbnail, I assume they started taking their trash to the dump instead of just throwing it out the window?

[@shiptj01]

You're cute.

[@NinjaZXRR]

Djs akwa virak majyonir weszkia kvi urdashk mijashy

[@HudoHudHudec]

The amount of cigarette buds on the ground in Ljubljana is insane. Just go outside of city centre a bit.

[@stevensugars3957]

An entire nation of OCD

[@teodorrozej4344]

Povprečna propaganda žabarjev.

[@karelmarx8899]

you're nuts

[@lavordavor7738]

Lol your last name literly means croat, hope you know language of your ancestors

[@cplcabs]

Once EU funding is reduced and Slovenia has to start paying a lot of its money to the EU to be a member of the club so to speak, all this will change as priorities will change. I am not saying it will end, I am saying it will change. Don't forget, yes it may be saving money, but the equipment and personell costs money and a lot of Slovenias recyling programs are expensive.

[@merjasc1]

Slovenia has been the neto payer of the EU for a long time now(more than 10 years). It means that we pay much more to the EU than we get out of it. And even from the money we could get from the EU probably we get granted about 70% of this funds(which is also our fault).

[@1984isnotamanual]

Hey, will you marry me?

[@rudygfunk491]

😂😂😂