The Best in Slovenia! :)

So yesterday I went to see the best in Slovenia: the one council where 50% diversion of waste from landfill is achieved - 2nd best is supposed to be the 2nd biggest city in Slovenia with only 20%!

Plastics are sorted according to type:


& baled - there is still a lot of plastics though! :(

(I forgot to ask which are destined for recycling & which to be made into 'energy' for cement factories & other industrial use abroad! which I'm not too happy about..
We sort of rushed through the facility after a very informative briefing!)

Electronics are collected properly - this is the new system!

& that is why our local TVs were under trees - waiting for the wooden & metal 'cages' to put them on for safer transport! (in containers many cathode tubes with toxic lead broke - hopefully this would be better!)
I am HAPPY to report our local council had already received them & put the TVs & monitors on the wooden storage units too!
(Unfortunately there's a lot of plastic wrapping involved!! :( Hopefully they'll find something better & reusable?)


Styrofoam is collected and given to packaging recovery company too!


If people bring their own waste (wood or other stuff to put into separate containers!), they are given a discount & can reduce their waste disposal bill up to 20%!!

They even compost wood 'big waste'! (grind & compost it, they then perform tests on the compost to figure out what it can be used for!)


They also have a composting facility, & that's the only place where they warn about smell!:)

A new center for handling 'dangerous chemicals' has just been built, & a center for recycling fridges is planned to be built - would LOVE to see what will go on there!


(center for 'dangerous chemicals' looks slightly ominous, hopefully all will be well!! - I was assured the chemicals will not be burnt there, but taken to an appropriate facility abroad to be burnt! - still, this is more incentive to make LESS dangerous chemicals!!)

I asked about recycling CDs & DVDs, & they said there's no one they could give 'em to, so..?!! (Ideally, these would be collected separately too & recycled!)

I had a few nitpicks & considerations (& questions!) - & hopefully I'll manage to return with the Mayor & some local waste company people!!:) Or maybe even with all Mayors of the valley? (That would be truly awesome!!:)

Overall, I think they are really doing awesome things, educating people, raising awareness.. I wish more councils had as dedicated people as here!!

& the capitol? They are 'sloppy'!
(a more 'bad' word was used, lol - & not by me!!)
/I found online the capitol had 90% landfill & 10% diversion of waste in 2004/05! - I was really quite shocked at this!/
Many other councils need to learn more from this waste company!
They even have educational programmes for kids & adults to visit & see everything & learn about better waste/resources management!

I was delighted with how friendly everyone was, & - the lack of smell!
Are these waste/resources management companies of the future?

The council was motivated for change because the landfill was running out of space - with careful management & education of people they managed to extend its life for a few years & saved quite a lot of money!

In the past, there used to be a landfill here. '28m of waste is underneath, with an old clay mine under that,' we were told. The smell was ever-so-faint, almost non-existant..

As our local landfill will be closed in July (due to EU regulations), hopefully local councils could be inspired to make less waste too?

I was given some excellent tips & info, & hopefully we'll manage to make some of them reality!

I'll report more as we go along! :)