The municipality of Kreis Höxter, Germany, has signed its zero waste commitment to become a Zero Waste Candidate City within the context of the Mission Zero Academy’s (MiZA) Zero Waste Cities Certification.
With this commitment, Kreis Höxter becomes the second German city to register with the Zero Waste Cities Certification, after Kiel in 2021. The municipality has formally committed to become a Zero Waste Candidate City by October 2023, and will work closely with both Zero Waste Germany and the Mission Zero Academy to design an ambitious local zero waste strategy.
The Höxter district is located in the heart of Germany and comprises 10 towns, with a total combined population of 143,000 inhabitants. Kreis Höxter (the district of Höxter)’s Zero Waste Candidate City application has been done on behalf of all these towns.
Powered by the European NGO Zero Waste Europe, MiZA’s Zero Waste Cities Certification was developed to support cities in Europe wanting to accelerate their zero waste transition and circular economy implementation at the local level.
County Administrator Michael Stickeln, and Hubertus Abraham
County Administrator for Kreis Höxter, Michael Stickeln, stated
“The best waste is the kind that is not created in the first place. As a society, we must therefore find a way to manufacture products, packaging and other materials responsibly and consume them consciously. It is a great personal concern of mine that our County of Höxter takes a pioneering role in this process. I am very pleased that with signing this letter of commitment we have come a step closer to our goal of becoming the first county in Germany to become a Zero Waste Region. The project is an excellent and important contribution to the sustainable protection of our valuable but limited resources. I thank the members of our county council who unanimously supported this project.”
“The urgency to change traditional waste management systems is not slowing down, and we’re extremely pleased to see Kreis Höxter recognise this. The district can really be a leader in the field of sustainability by showcasing a different model for waste through the adoption of an ambitious and effective local zero waste strategy. We look forward to working with Kreis Höxter and Zero Waste Germany to translate this zero waste commitment into concrete, impactful actions on the ground in the coming years”
added Kaisa Karjalainen, Mission Zero Academy Coordinator.
