Lots of Action in Small Town Krizevci (Croatia)

In November 2019, 21 youth from the Danube region came together in Krizevci, Croatia, to find out more about waste reduction. It was an interactive and intercultural week full of new input, workshops and activities in the centre ‚Mariapoli Faro‘. The participants from Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Croatia and Germany were also raising awareness on Zero Waste practices in a public creative workshop day.

Input, exchange and pracitcal experience

The young people could exchange their experiences and ideas on waste avoidance and present the waste management systems of their own country. The exchange and the contributions of the group leaders and guest speakers showed alternative ways of consumption and motivated the participants to implement them in their own countries.


The focus was on methods and ideas of plastic-free living. An excursion to a waste and recycling site gave insights into the waste management of the small town. The participants realized that the system needs to be improved and that people need to learn more about the effects of hazardous waste products.


A clean-up in the city followed by a detailed waste audit gave the group an opportunity to gain experience on how to document and gradually reduce waste.

Waste Clean Up around Krizevci including an audit

On the last day, the group prepared a workshop day for the Krizevci community. It was a unique opportunity for the participants to exchange and share expertise. The guests were enthusiastic and showed great interest in the topic. The day was also an opportunity to gain first practical experience of Zero Waste practices. For example, they showed how to make their own toothpaste or how to build ecological seed bombs.

One of the highlights and a lot of discussion material was the lecture on green entrepreneurship. A discussion with the community gave the participants a better insight into the city's waste management, which is a big challenge for the community and requires more support from all citizens.

Sharing results

Throughout the week, participants also developed contributions for a collection of material, a toolkit that will soon be published on the project's website. Intercultural coexistence among young people from five countries was an important positive experience for many.