The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games welcomed more than 11 million visitors to Greater Paris. To fulfil the ambition of delivering sustainable Games, the Organising Committee (COJO) and its partners implemented a strategy focused on reducing, reusing, and recycling waste, with a target of 80% recycling. ESS 2024 coordinated innovative solutions through its Cahiers d’Impact. At the forefront, Citeo deployed sorting tools, awareness campaigns, and communication kits to harmonise sorting practices across all sites and stakeholders involved.

Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games: Waste Management as a Key Sustainability Challenge

According to Paris 2024, more than 11 million visitors stayed in Greater Paris during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. During these festivities, waste generation was significant, making waste management a crucial challenge in delivering on the ambition of hosting “the most sustainable Games in history.”

To rise to this large-scale challenge, the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (COJO) implemented an ambitious strategy focused on reducing, reusing, and recycling waste. The goal was clear: minimise the event’s environmental footprint while raising awareness among the public and participants about best practices in waste management, with the ambition of recycling up to 80%. Several partners joined forces to put in place long-lasting solutions.

Within the framework of the Games, COJO and the Olympic Delivery Authority (SOLIDEO) partnered with Les Canaux (House of Social and Solidarity Economies) and the Yunus Centre to develop ESS 2024, with the aim of delivering the first sustainable, inclusive, and socially responsible Olympic and Paralympic Games. As part of this project, ESS 2024 published a series of Cahiers d’Impact—comprehensive guidelines bringing together innovative solutions and communication tools to be deployed during the Games.


Recycling: the central pillar of responsible Games

To maximise recycling rates, numerous measures were put in place. According to the ESS specifications, a bin was available every 15m², displaying clear and engaging sorting instructions, accompanied by playful slogans such as “One, Two, Tri!” Extensive communication efforts also supported the initiative, including an explanatory video available on the Paris 2024 website to help visitors better understand the waste management system during the Games.

From a practical standpoint, many Olympic water fountains were installed across sports venues to limit the use of plastic bottles and encourage the use of refillable bottles. In compliance with the AGEC law, Paris 2024 also sought to eliminate single-use packaging in favour of reusable and/or deposit-based solutions. On the human side, in addition to the 50,000 volunteers trained to guide visitors on waste sorting, more than 5,000 maintenance staff were mobilised.

Even within the stadiums, the sustainability commitment was visible: many seats were made from recycled materials collected in nearby bins.


Citeo: a key partner in Paris 2024

For Citeo, a mission-driven company, the 2024 Games were a unique opportunity to promote best practices in packaging reduction, reuse, and recycling throughout France. “For the first time in the history of the Games, the core principles of the circular economy have been fully integrated at every level of organisation,” Citeo stated in a press release issued ahead of the opening ceremony.

This effort began well before the event. As early as 2021, Citeo had already adapted its sorting signage at sporting events in preparation for responsible Games. That same year, together with Paris 2024, the company published a guide on eco-design for packaging. This work was extended for the Games through the co-design of a comprehensive communication kit shared with all stakeholders and local authorities. Sorting guidelines from this kit were displayed on more than 23,500 recycling bins installed across venues and competition sites.

In its statement, Citeo listed the key actions undertaken to support the sports sector’s environmental transition:

  • deployment of recycling in public spaces and sports gathering areas,
  • improved sorting signage during events,
  • mobilisation of the entire Olympic ecosystem around recycling, with the goal of “the same gesture and the same rule applied nationwide.”


To reinforce this, Citeo also published a guide of best practices for waste sorting in and around sports venues. To make recycling a shared commitment, Citeo partnered with other engaged players, including Airbnb. Together, they distributed an eco-gestures guide to hosts to raise awareness among visitors about waste sorting during the Games.


What’s next?

As highlighted in its press release, this major effort also helped strengthen the National Action Plan against Littering (PLDA), aimed at eliminating and preventing waste in nature and urban areas across France. Since then, multiple awareness campaigns have been rolled out in various contexts. Beyond contributing to the success of the Games, these measures aim to leave a lasting legacy in Paris and inspire other cities organising major international events. In this sense, the Paris 2024 Games could become a benchmark for waste management at future global sporting events.

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