RCERO Ljubljana Waste Treatment Facility: a great example of good practice, sustainability and contribution to the circular economy within the EU

The 2019 European Week of Regions and Cities has come to end, but we had another great example of good practice, sustainability and contribution to the circular economy within the European Union to share with you.

RCERO Ljubljana is one of the most modern waste treatment facilities in Europe and the biggest environmental project in Slovenia in terms of budget (EUR 159 895 264, with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 77 571 941) and size, due to its waste treatment capacity, and aims to improve the quality of life of the Slovene citizens.

The project is one of the best examples of regional cooperation in Slovenia due to the large number of municipalities - representing as much as a third of the Slovenian population - that rely on the facility's services. 

The success of RCERO Ljubljana by the numbers: 

• 150,000tonnes of mixed waste and over 20,000 tonnes of bio waste received
• Up to 30,000tonnes of raw, recyclable materials, up to 60,000tonnes of fuel and 7,000tonnes of compost produced annually, thanks to waste treatment.
• less than 5%of residual waste ends up as landfill following treatment

Within the framework of RCERO Ljubljana, mechanical biological waste treatment is performed, and two types of waste are treated: separately collected biological waste and the rest of the mixed municipal waste. Bulky waste is also taken in and sorted. The aims of the mechanical biological waste treatment are to reduce the quantity of waste going to the landfill and to separate fractions which can be recycled or thermally treated (burnt in a dedicated incineration plant) – for instance, metal and glass, and production of compost from biological waste. Waste treatment is carried out as a three-part technological process. 

Thanks to the technologies used, RCERO has a positive impact in terms of surface and groundwater contaminations and greenhouse gas emissions, in particular methane emissions and odours from the decomposition of biodegradable waste. The size and waste treatment capacity will further contribute to downsize waste from landfilling – Slovenia already tops the tables with a municipal waste recycling rate of 55% (Eurostat data).

To know more about RCERO Ljubljana, click here