The City of Ljubljana is continuing its socially responsible campaign »Človek, čuvaj svoje mesto« (»Man, take care of your city«). In its focus is calling attention to picking up dog feces and throwing away bubble gum into garbage bins.

The campaign calling attention to the unacceptability of vandalism and stressing the significance of respect for our common public space with the slogan Man begun last year when it was focused on prohibited graffiti and damage to public buildings, and this year the focal point of the campaign is awareness raising with regard to picking up dog feces and throwing away bubble gum into garbage bins.
The campaign is straightforward and sarcastic because nowadays when we are flooded with information and bad news this is exactly what we need: using laughter and a direct approach to provoke thought on the problem and to become aware that such actions are inappropriate.
The campaign is accompanied by provocative short films which in their own straightforward way call attention to the problem of dog feces and bubble gums:
https://youtu.be/LtPzQZbErnk?list=PLeJixfrhaf41utqTGMPQvwj62JUssH4fP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-YLbSSzxtg
https://youtu.be/GVarX5XD9MQ?list=PLeJixfrhaf41utqTGMPQvwj62JUssH4fP

Within the framework of the Man campaign the youth street work also continues in cooperation with the Bob Institute and it is carried out by an all-female professional group called ČlovekINJE (female humans in literal translation). The activities have started last year, continued through the spring months this year and are going to be carried out for at least three more years.

The activities of the City of Ljubljana in the area of picking up dog feces

In Ljubljana there are 218 dog bins set up in different locations, 21 of them alongside the Path of Remembrance and Comradeship. The bags with feces belong in mixed municipal waste, therefore the dog owners can throw them into the mixed waste containers, as well.
In addition, two enclosed dog parks with dog posts and benches are set up, one as part of the Northern Park and the other in the neighbourhood Štepanjsko naselje (at Pesarska Street). In the Tivoli Park and at Tržaška Street (in the Vič district community) additional two open-air dog toilets have been set up.

District communities are also organising awareness raising activities directed at dog owners.
For over 10 years the Moste district community has been carrying out the campaign »Za domačimi ljubčki ne ostajajo kupčki« (»No piles left behind pets«) within the scope of which they have distributed approximately 1000 packs of bags (with 30 bags in each pack) for the collection of dog feces. In the past years biodegradable bags are being distributed in line with the sustainable guidelines of Ljubljana, European Green Capital 2016.
The campaign is carried out throughout the year and the bags are being distributed at all events organised by the Moste district community council. At least two activities are planned this year, namely, Fužinetlon in the Nove Fužine neighbourhood and Velikanček (Little Giant) with the Pravljična tržnica (Fairy-tale Market) in the beginning of December.
During the green ambassadorship, from 25 April until 15 May, the district community has intensified the distribution of bags and combined it with tours of children’s playgrounds under its management.
Within the framework of the green ambassadorship, from 16 May until 5 June, the Jarše district community also performed awareness raising campaigns for picking up dog feces. The district community councillors and an inspector from the City Inspectorate within the City Administration of the City of Ljubljana visited bigger parks and green areas where they educated dog owners on how to properly dispose of their dogs’ feces.

This year’s joint campaign Man, which is continuing throughout the summer, is going to be taken up the majority of district communities.

The awareness raising projects for children regarding the correct conduct of dog owners are also carried out in primary schools and kindergartens in Ljubljana, mostly within the framework of the Eko šola (Eco School) project. They are also going to take part in the Man campaign and educate the children about its topics.