Ljubljana will get EUR 4.2m for a 3-year project worth a total of EUR 5.2m. The Alien Plant Species project will encourage Ljubljana residents to remove invasive species from their plots and explore new uses.

Alien invasive species are currently being composted or burned, but Ljubljana has proven in a pilot project that they can also be used to make paper, the City of Ljubljana said in a press release.

"We want to make it easier for residents to identify alien invasive species and teach them how to remove the plants and process them into useful products."

Maribor will get nearly EUR 3m for a project dubbed Urban Soil 4 Food in which waste soil is to be processed and recycled to be used in gardens within the city.

Maribor set up garden plots already in 2012, when it held the title of European Culture Capital. In the next three years, additional 7,000 square metres of space will be designated for garden plots as part of a project worth a total of EUR 3.7m.