EU launches a nationwide public awareness campaign on sustainable waste management across Bosnia and Herzegovina - “Let’s adopt new habits! Let’s use waste!”
The public awareness campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina entitled “Let’s adopt new habits! Let’s use waste!”, financed by the European Union, has officially been launched today in Sarajevo at Europe House. The event brought together representatives of key sector institutions, relevant stakeholders and representatives of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who jointly expressed their support for the campaign and reaffirmed their commitment to improving sustainable waste management in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The campaign will continue with a promotional event in Brčko on 28 January 2026, followed by the final event in Banja Luka in February 2026.
During the event, the speakers emphasised the urgency of improving waste recovery through separation, reuse and recycling throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, calling on institutions, the business sector, as well as the citizens to adopt new habits and contribute to a more sustainable waste management system.
“This campaign highlights the impact that everyday choices have on our environment, health and future. With the support of the European Union, Bosnia and Herzegovina is aligning its waste management system with EU standards and moving away from the ‘take–make–dispose’ model. The European Union remains a strong partner in this process. To date, we have invested nearly 140 million EUR in environmental protection, including waste management and environmental infrastructure. However, lasting change depends on institutions, the business sector and citizens alike - because change starts with each of us,”
said Magdalena Müller-Uri, Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The campaign is implemented within the EU-funded CETAP project and is an integral part of the European Union’s long-lasting support to Bosnia and Herzegovina in strengthening environmental protection and waste management, in line with the EU standards.
Addressing the audience, Mirza Hujić, Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, stated: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the European Union for its long-standing support in the field of environmental protection, which has been ongoing for many years. Through this project and EU support for Bosnia and Herzegovina on its path towards EU integration, and in line with the European Green Deal and the principles of the circular economy, it is crucial that we further improve waste management in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
A central feature of the promotional events is the presentation of the Eco Guardians – a team of educational and friendly characters, each representing a specific waste stream. Through clear, engaging and easy-to-understand messages, the Eco Guardians demonstrate how proper waste separation gives materials a “second life”, reinforcing the message that everyday items such as paper, glass, plastic and bio-waste are not waste, but valuable resources.
The aim of the campaign is to encourage behavioural change and inspire citizens across Bosnia and Herzegovina to adopt everyday waste separation habits and to recognise waste as a valuable resource, said Edward Scott Crossett, Team Leader of the EU-funded CETAP project.
CETAP (Circular Economy Technical Assistance Project for Improving the Recovery of Materials from Waste through Separate Collection, Reuse and Recycling) is a European Union project supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina’s transition towards sustainable waste management. The project promotes the development of new markets for waste as a resource, enhances recycling capacities and municipal services, and supports the drafting of legislation aligned with the EU Waste Package. It also provides support to competent institutions in establishing sustainable systems for the collection and treatment of specific waste streams, in line with circular economy principles.
More information about the campaign and its activities is available at: www.cetap.ba