A village that made every household accountable for what it throws away
In Košeca, a targeted Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) system introduced in 2024 reduced per-capita mixed waste by 4.59 kg, totalling 15.4 tonnes across the whole village. The separate collection rate reached 52.99% and mixed waste per resident fell to 90 kg, well below the Slovak average. The system makes household waste generation visible and financially tangible, motivating residents to reduce and sort.
Where
- Košeca, Trenčín Region, Slovakia (approximate pin at village centre)
How to participate
- Košeca residents: engage with the PAYT system, the more accurately you sort, the less you pay; contact the municipality for the current tariff schedule
- Slovak municipal administrators: contact Priatelia Zeme: SPZ for the Košeca PAYT design template
- National advocates: use the 4.59 kg/capita reduction to demonstrate PAYT impact at the Ministry of Environment
Source & repost
Shared here so you can get inspired or find action already happening near you. Solarpunker does not own or organise it.
- Lead: Municipality of Košeca + Friends of the Earth Slovakia (Priatelia Zeme: SPZ)
- Report chapter: ZWE State of Zero Waste Municipalities, 5th edition