In Latvia, the issue of waste has long gone beyond containers and sorting rules — it is fundamentally about habits that fail to change. This is precisely why those least expected have stepped in. Responding to the situation, ice-hockey legend Sandis Ozolins, world-class tennis player Alona Ostapenko, and Latvian national basketball team player Andrejs Grazulis have joined forces for a collective action. Together, the trio aims to draw attention to one of Latvia’s most pressing environmental challenges — proper waste sorting — while also taking a concrete step into the waste management sector.
The athletes’ message is clear and uncompromising: the problem lies not only in containers or regulations, but in people’s willingness to actively engage and change everyday habits. The European Environment Agency’s report “Europe’s Environment 2025” shows that material consumption and waste generation in the European Union continue to remain at high levels, indicating that the transition to a truly circular economy has not yet been achieved. Targets to significantly reduce use of resources and waste volumes are largely unmet — on average, each EU resident consumes around 14 tonnes of materials and generates approximately 5 tonnes of waste per year. Circular business models in Europe are still not being implemented at a sufficient scale in practice.
Sandis Ozolins does not hide his frustration:
“The situation with waste sorting in Latvia is challenging — we are still failing to fully use the existing potential, and far too much recyclable waste ends up in landfills. While public discourse often focuses on political promises and initiatives on paper, Aļona Ostapenko, Andrejs Gražulis and I have joined forces to take practical action and strive for real change. We see how Europe is moving purposefully towards more sustainable and responsible thinking, yet in Latvia sorting is still only partially practiced, even though the opportunities are far greater.”
Alona Ostapenko also admits that the society’s attitude towards sorting surprises her:
“We clearly see the gap between what Latvia might achieve in waste sorting and environmental protection, and what we actually do in our daily lives. In many places, the opportunities and infrastructure already exist, but our own attitude remains the decisive factor — how we treat ourselves and our environment, and whether we are willing to take responsibility for our choices.”
The athletes emphasize that what unites them is not only personal motivation, but also the ability to reach a broad audience and influence long-term behavioural change.
“We have ideas, each of us has a large base of supporters, and there is truly a lot to be done in this sector. We want to change the situation, and already this month the public will see what we are planning to do to make these changes a reality,” the athletes said in a joint statement.
The athletes’ collaboration marks a new approach to raising environmental awareness — communicating directly, clearly and with authority based not on political promises, but on personal responsibility and action. They believe that meaningful change is only possible when waste sorting becomes a natural part of everyday life rather than an enforced obligation. Therefore, one of the trio’s key goals is to educate and inform the public about the importance of sorting, its practical benefits, and the real impact each individual can have on the environment.
