Small Changes, Less Waste!

During the European Week for Waste Reduction 2026, the Regional Development Agency of Dubrovnik-Neretva County (DUNEA) will organise an online awareness-raising campaign encouraging citizens and tourism stakeholders to prevent waste through simple changes in everyday habits.

In line with this year’s EWWR theme, Material Sufficiency, the campaign will encourage people to rethink their consumption habits, avoid unnecessary purchases and packaging, and choose reusable alternatives to single-use products.

The campaign will include:

• Website and social media communication: An article and social media posts with practical tips on waste prevention, such as using reusable bottles and shopping bags, avoiding unnecessary packaging, and making better use of products we already own.

• Targeted communication to tourism stakeholders: Emails to local tourist boards, accommodation providers and other tourism stakeholders in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, sharing practical recommendations for reducing single-use products and packaging waste in tourist accommodation.

• Social media engagement: A small online challenge inviting people to reflect on their everyday habits, choose one simple change to reduce waste and share their experiences.

• Internal awareness-raising: Encouraging DUNEA employees to apply waste prevention principles in everyday office activities and event organisation, including reducing unnecessary printed materials and using reusable products wherever possible.

The campaign will mainly focus on preventing packaging waste and reducing the use of single-use plastics, with particular attention to the tourism sector, where seasonal increases in consumption and waste generation present additional challenges.

The activity will also contribute to the communication and stakeholder engagement efforts of the BEHAVE project (Interreg Europe), in which DUNEA works with local stakeholders to better understand the barriers and motivations influencing waste-related behaviour. The project’s local pilot focuses on the island of Mljet, where reducing waste generated by tourists is one of the main priorities.

The campaign will be supported by the BEHAVE lead partner, the Municipality of Novo mesto, through promotion on the project website, LinkedIn and newsletter, helping to reach a wider audience across the partnership and beyond. Other BEHAVE project partners will also be invited to share the campaign through their communication channels.

As ACR+ is both a BEHAVE project partner and the European coordinator of EWWR, the campaign will also be linked to the wider EWWR initiative, with opportunities for further promotion through EWWR communication channels.

The main objective is to raise awareness of waste prevention and encourage small, realistic changes in everyday behaviour, while also engaging tourism stakeholders who can help promote more sustainable practices among visitors.

The campaign’s reach and engagement will be monitored through available website and social media statistics, the number of stakeholders contacted and any feedback received.

All activities will be carried out digitally, using existing communication channels and without producing additional printed or promotional materials.