After a series of packaging waste one-day cleanup campaigns held across the country, the winning cities of this year’s edition of the From Source to Sea project have been announced. The town of Vrgorac secured first place in the small cities category (under 10,000 residents), Sveta Nedelja topped the medium-sized cities, while Osijek emerged as the winner among large cities with over 35,000 residents.
A judging panel comprising representatives from Coca-Cola, Konzum, the Association of Cities, and Jutarnji list evaluated 32 cities that entered the competition as part of this environmental initiative.
Over 2,200 volunteers took part in the clean-up actions, collecting nearly 288 tons of packaging waste - successfully achieving one of the project’s key goals: reducing pollution while raising public awareness about environmental preservation and the importance of proper waste disposal. This year’s focus was on supporting urban greening as a way to reduce CO₂ emissions and help lower city temperatures. The winning cities will share a total prize of €45,000, which will be used to plant trees at locations of their choosing.
"The From Source to Sea project has once again shown how powerful partnerships can lead to meaningful environmental progress. Together with cities, partners, and thousands of volunteers, we managed to collect nearly 288 tons of packaging waste. But more importantly, we strengthened awareness about the importance of sustainable waste management. We’re proud that each year this project brings together more participants who share a common vision - cities with less waste, more greenery, and a healthier future for all. Congratulations to all cities for their outstanding efforts, and we wish the winners every success with the tree planting, which will have a lasting impact in the fight against climate change.” said Igor Zgrabljić, Director of the Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Department of Coca-Cola HBC Adria.
The project kicked off with an open call that ran from February 17 to March 17. Participating cities were required to organize packaging waste collection campaigns by the end of June and report on the number of volunteers and the amount of waste collected - the key criteria used in the scoring process.
This year, 32 cities joined the project: Beli Manastir, Benkovac, Crikvenica, Daruvar, Dubrovnik, Jastrebarsko, Koprivnica, Korčula, Lipik, Našice, Osijek, Otočac, Pag, Pakrac, Poreč, Prelog, Pula, Rab, Rijeka, Solin, Sveta Nedelja, Valpovo, Varaždin, Varaždinske Toplice, Velika Gorica, Vinkovci, Virovitica, Vodnjan, Vrgorac, Vrlika, Zadar, and Zaprešić. Local utility companies were in charge of ensuring proper waste disposal.
In agreement with the winning cities, tree-planting activities will take place in the autumn, from September to November, after which each city will also receive a commemorative plaque.
Launched by Coca-Cola in Croatia in 2018, the From Source to Sea project has so far included 134 waste collection campaigns. More than 11,900 volunteers have taken part, collecting 932 tons of waste — the equivalent of nearly 108 truckloads.
Coca-Cola introduced From Source to the Sea in Croatia in 2018 in partnership with government institutions and civil society organizations. Four years ago, Jutarnji list joined as a project partner, followed by Konzum in 2022, and later, the Association of Cities of the Republic of Croatia. The project is also supported by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition and the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology of the University of Zagreb.