Home Business Recycling and Waste Management Tallinn Aims for Zero Waste wi...

Tallinn Aims for Zero Waste with Bold Initiatives

Recycling and Waste Management

Business Honor
28 March, 2025

Tallinn leads Europe in sustainability, targeting zero waste and a circular economy transformation.

Tallinn, the Estonian capital, has become the first European capital to submit an application for the highly coveted Zero Waste Candidate City status with the Mission Zero Academy (MiZA) Certification. The certification is a major step in the city's efforts to revolutionize its waste management systems and become a sustainable, circular economy.

Tallinn's ambitions and vision for waste management and recycling are high. The municipality seeks to boost its municipal waste sorting collection to 66% by 2026 and 70% by 2030. Moreover, Tallinn is aiming to increase its recycling rate to no less than 65% by 2035 and decrease landfill disposal to less than 5% by 2026. Such a proactive policy is a part of the overall strategy of shutting down the burning of mixed waste and stimulating local reuse and repairing systems.

Already, Tallinn has laid the groundwork for its zero-waste ambitions through a sequence of sustainability projects. In 2023, the city produced just 362 kg of municipal waste per capita, well under the EU average of 511 kg. In October 2024, Tallinn's first circularity centre opened, with a second one in the pipeline for late 2025. The centers will enable residents to be able to dispose waste in an environmental-friendly manner, fix and reuse products, and recycle material in an easy, community-based setting.

Additionally, Tallinn was the first European capital to integrate the EU's Single-Use Plastics Directive into policy, with a focus on reusable containers at public events. All of these practices reflect the city's commitment to reducing waste, recycling more, and building environmental responsibility among its residents.

As Tallinn moves towards MiZA certification, the city acknowledges challenges along the way but is determined to achieve its zero-waste ambitions, a firm driver for other cities to follow.