“Waste is out of taste”: Monaco’s plans for European Week for Waste Reduction

In line with 2024’s European Week for Waste Reduction, the Principality of Monaco is set to host an array of engaging events and zero-waste initiatives promoting sustainable practices between 16th and 24th November. 

The theme of this year’s European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) is “Waste is Out of Taste,” a nod to the need to reduce the vast amount of perfectly good food that ends up in landfill each year. It is estimated that more than 58 million tonnes of food waste is generated in the EU each year, a staggering 131kg per inhabitant.

Between 16th and 24th November, numerous government departments and agencies, along with the Mairie de Monaco and the Société Monégasque d’Assainissement, will be putting on a variety of workshops, events, and collections with the goal of raising awareness about this unnecessary wastage and encouraging the Principality’s population to be more conscientious.

On the agenda

The Department for the Environment, in partnership with the Department of Urban Planning, the Mairie, and the Société Monégasque d’Assainissement, has arranged for a dedicated EWWR village to be set up on the Promenade Honoré II and at the Casa d’I Soci on 20th and 21st November, from 9am to 6pm.

“Open to all, the village will have around 15 stands specially set up for this event and will host numerous activities related to waste reduction, food waste, the circular economy, repair, recycling, and raising awareness of environmental protection,” says a Monaco Government representative.

The Société Monégasque d’Assainissement is organising a number of separate events at the EWWR village, such as a Waste Frieze workshop that will allow participants to explore the life cycle of waste and reflect on the environmental impacts of its management, a free 5Rs and Sustainable Development Goals escape game, and a practical workshop to show citizens how to recycle properly in a fun, interactive environment.

The Department for the Environment is also organising, after the success of last year’s drives, a collection of undergarments and glasses. Donations can be placed, as in previous years, in the bins located outside the Fontvieille Shopping Centre.

New for this year, hairdressers in Monaco have been invited to collect and keep all hair cuttings over the last few weeks. These will soon be forwarded to the Association Coiffeurs Justes, who turn this useful natural resource into anti-pollution products.

On 23rd November, from 3.30pm to 6pm, the popular Mùnegu Repair Café event will return to the Marché de la Condamine. The Mairie-backed initiative offers visitors an opportunity to get household items repaired for free. For the first time, an outreach branch of the Décathlon brand will also be present. The team will be on hand to carry out maintenance work on bicycles requiring professional technical assistance.

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Photo credit: Stéphane Danna / Monaco Communications Department