With the Certification, the city is gaining a powerful framework to turn ambition into action. The process will help Tallinn sharpen its strategy, engage its residents, and accelerate the shift to local reuse, repair, and recycling systems.
It’s an approach that the Mayor of Tallinn, Jevgeni Ossinovski, fully supports, stating: “Cities can spearhead change where national governments are too slow to act. We want natural resources and our living environment to be treated with the same respect as we treat our fellow citizens. The City of Tallinn aims to be as smart and innovative as its people: to invest, not waste; to protect, not pollute. That is what becoming a Zero Waste City means.”
MiZA and Zero Waste Europe will work together to help Tallinn reach the goals it has now set. The city aims to: increase municipal waste separation collection to 66% by 2026 and 70% by 2030; raise the recycling rate to at least 65% by 2035; reduce landfill disposal to below 5% by 2026; phase out incineration of unsorted waste; set a municipal waste reduction goal by March 2026; and invest in education and public awareness to boost citizen participation.
Tallinn has already laid strong groundwork via the city’s Waste Management Plan 2022–2026 and the Tallinn 2035 Development Strategy. Tallinn was also the first European city to implement the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive, with a clear prioritisation of reusable containers at public events. In 2023, Tallinn generated just 362 kg of municipal waste per capita, well below the EU average of 511 kg, according to Statista. The city also opened its first circularity centre in October 2024, with a second under construction — set to open by the end of 2025. On top of this, Tallinn plans to convert all waste stations across the city into similar hubs for circularity.
