Solar panels at Lahti Aavatar care center. © City of Lahti
With some 120,000 residents, Lahti is the eight largest city and the sixth largest urban area in Finland. A respected sports city, Lahti is also known internationally for its environmental and design expertise and high-level cultural services. Circular economy operators in the Lahti region include Päijät-Hämeen jätehuolto (PHJ), LAMK, LUT and LADEC, as well as a sizeable group of companies.
What has already been done in Lahti to promote the circular economy?
At the beginning of 2017, PHJ commissioned a sorting facility that can separate fractions from mixed waste, energy waste and construction waste for material recovery. A variety of mechanical and optical separators are used for the sorting.
The circular economy road map for the Päijät-Häme region defines the goals and measures for achieving the circular economy in the area. Five themes, which list the more detailed theme-specific measures, were selected for the roadmap.
Efforts have also been made to increase awareness of the circular economy and reduce the consumption of natural resources among the residents by means of regional environmental guidance and education.
Lahti becomes the European Green Capital in 2021
Lahti is the first Finnish city to be appointed as the European Green Capital at the awards ceremony in Oslo June 20 2019. The title of European Green Capital is the European Commission's recognition of a city that is a pioneer in environmental activities, serves as an example to other cities and develops innovative solutions to environmental challenges. Winning the title means that in 2021, a number of international and local environmental events will take place in Lahti.
Goals as a pioneering municipality
- Collaboration between cities to find, pilot and more widely implement new circular economy innovations
- Becoming an internationally pioneering environmental city
- Increasing awareness among residents of the sustainable consumption of natural resources
- Creating an inspiring atmosphere for developing and promoting new ideas together
More information