THE PATH TO ZERO WASTE

THE PATH TO ZERO WASTE: HOW COMPANIES IN SERBIA ARE FOLLOWING EUROPEAN STANDARDS

In Serbia, responsible waste management is increasingly recognized as an integral part of business strategy. The European framework, from the waste hierarchy to ambitious landfill reduction targets, provides clear direction, and domestic companies are increasingly translating these principles into practice in cooperation with national and local systems. Although EU regulations are not yet binding for Serbia, they have been partially incorporated into national plans and legislation. The industry is already demonstrating that sustainable waste management can serve both as a competitive advantage and as environmental protection.

The EU framework for reducing landfill disposal

European Union directives stipulate that by 2035 no more than 10 percent of municipal waste may be disposed of in landfills. The Waste Framework Directive establishes a hierarchy consisting of prevention, reuse, recycling, energy recovery, and as a last resort, disposal.

Although EU regulations are not yet binding for Serbia, the business sector increasingly recognizes them as guidelines for improving practice. The motivation is not solely regulatory, as companies seek to reduce their environmental impact and demonstrate that sustainable business is possible even before formal alignment.

From plans to practical implementation

Industrial production in Serbia previously relied largely on landfilling, while recycling and energy recovery were implemented on a smaller scale. Investments by large multinational systems have introduced expertise and projects that enable waste sorting and redirection toward recycling, composting, or energy recovery. This demonstrates that change is possible even within the existing regulatory framework through cooperation with national and local stakeholders.

One industry example is the Zero Waste to Landfill initiative implemented by our company as well. At the Batajnica plant, a model has been implemented that diverts municipal waste from landfills. Plastic, paper, metal, wood, and glass are sent for recycling, while municipal waste is divided into two streams. The non recyclable fraction is directed to energy recovery, and food waste to composting. Following the success of this project at the Belgrade bottling plant, Zero Waste to Landfill has also been launched at the Rosa water bottling plants in Vlasina and Neresnica. In this way, the production network is transitioning to a Zero Waste to Landfill model step by step, in line with local conditions and partnerships.

“Our goal is not only to comply with regulations, but to demonstrate that business operations can have a positive impact on the environment. Waste is not the end of the process, but an opportunity to return resources to use through recycling, composting, or energy production,” said Tatjana Stajković, Quality, Safety, and Environmental Protection Manager at Coca-Cola HBC Serbia.

Environmental impact over short term calculations

Projects such as these show that sustainable waste management is not merely a matter of regulatory compliance, but part of a broader transformation in how companies think about their processes and their impact on the environment. When responsibility toward resources is embedded into everyday business decisions, space opens for innovation and for a market that values long term benefits.

“By launching the Zero Waste to Landfill initiative, we demonstrate that environmental responsibility can be an integral part of business strategy, while also encouraging other market participants to push the boundaries of sustainability,” Stajković concluded.