Prague presents strategy to accelerate the transition to a circular economy

It is following the example of other European metropolises

On 2 November, Prague presented its strategy for the transition to a circular economy. With Circular Prague 2030, the Czech capital seeks to reduce the consumption of primary raw materials, greenhouse gas emissions and waste production. To do so, it will focus on 4 key areas: Agriculture and Food, Waste Management, Water Management, and Construction.

Construction industry generates most of the capital’s waste

In a press release, the City of Prague revealed that most resources and primary raw materials are consumed by the construction industry. What is more, it reportedly generates a whopping 70% of the capital’s waste.

It follows then, that the municipality will now increase its efforts to reduce the waste created by this sector. More specifically, it will set requirements for the demolition of buildings and the use of recycled materials, among others.

Seeking inspiration from smart cities

When preparing its Circular Prague 2030 strategy, the capital reportedly sought inspiration from modern cities such as Amsterdam, London, Paris, Copenhagen, and Glasgow. Expanding on this, Prague hopes to follow the examples of the aforementioned cities and introduce new policies that will prevent the creation of food waste.

To encourage households not to discard items they no longer need or want, the Czech city will further establish more re-use centres to promote the recycling and sharing of products. Explaining the concept of a circular economy, Deputy Mayor for the Environment Petr Hlubuček shared:

"The circular economy represents a new approach to the handling of raw materials and products. Instead of the way a person extracts, processes, uses, and discards raw materials, they emphasise the prevention of waste generation and the retention of raw materials and products in circulation for as long as possible.”

Beyond this, Hlubuček highlighted that the creation of circular economies will provide opportunities for new jobs, services, and innovations. For this reason, the city urges all citizens, businesses, and research institutes to get involved and accelerate the transition.

The City of Prague has published the strategy on the website of the Prague Innovation Institute where the public can comment on it until 16 November 2021.