The excessive production of waste—and how we dispose of or recycle it—is one of today’s most urgent environmental issues. In her series “Zero Waste Jihlava”, Eva Bystrianská addresses this challenge head-on.

Focusing on the Czech city of Jihlava, with a population of just under 50,000, the project documents a bold, city-wide approach to waste reduction. Bystrianská’s campaign features striking images of people standing in front of towering piles of rubbish, aiming to inspire change—not through guilt, but with humour and playfulness.

Eva Bystrianská: ‚There were comments that the photographs were too beautiful, too aesthetic,‘ she explains. ‘But we believed they shouldn’t repel the viewer. They weren’t meant to be gloomy or emotionally heavy. And after all, legal waste sites aren’t necessarily dark or threatening places.‘

The message of the series is clear: we are all responsible for the waste we create—so let’s act now. The campaign was a resounding success in Jihlava and is now being shown for the first time in Germany as part of Wiesbaden Photo Days 2025.

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Eva Bystrianska, born in 1972 in the Czech Republic, is currently studying at the Institute of Creative Photography at the University of Silesia in Opava. Her work often focuses on non-idyllic landscapes—disappearing forests, areas ravaged by bark beetles, suburban fringes, and rubbish dumps. Alongside her documentary-style photography, she also creates images that offer a more ambiguous, layered interpretation of reality, inviting viewers to reflect on what lies beneath the surface.