Waste management is a challenge for all countries of the region, so cooperation and exchange of experiences is necessary, it was said at the round table organized today by the NGO Green Home in Podgorica with the aim of exchanging experiences and looking at the possibilities of cooperation and encouraging the circular economy in this area.
The event was attended by representatives of various sectors in the field of waste management, including representatives of the relevant Ministry, the Environmental Protection Agency, municipalities, communities of municipalities, environmental inspections, sanitary landfills, utility companies, non-governmental organizations and activists dealing with this topic, private companies, independent experts and experts.
The fact that a large number of relevant stakeholders took part in this event speaks of the understanding of the magnitude of the problem we are facing, but also testifies to the need for a platform for the exchange of knowledge and experiences in order to come up with potential solutions and discover new opportunities for the implementation of regulations related to waste management.
The round table was opened by the executive director of Green Home, Azra Vuković, emphasizing the urgency of taking steps towards solving numerous problems in this area in Montenegro.
The representative of the Directorate for Waste Management of the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the North, Jasmina Janković Mišnić, emphasized that this department is actively working on the preparation of by-laws so that the law on waste management can be applied, with a particular focus on the introduction of extended producer responsibility in Montenegro, stressing that the application will first solve the management of electrical and electronic, and then waste tires.
Ana Stojanovska from the NGO Planktonium from North Macedonia, presented the existing society for waste management from Macedonia, in which the possibilities of participation of the states of the region in such an association and all the advantages that membership in this network brings were considered.
An expert from the Ministry of Ecology of North Macedonia, Ana Karanfilova, presented the method of applying extended producer responsibility in this country, which has been in force for more than 10 years, and indicated the obstacles that can be expected in the region based on their experience.
In the session that was dedicated to the state of waste management in Montenegro, the technical director of the Podgorica Landfill, Ratko Pavićević, presented the work of this company through clear successes achieved by this company, but also pointing out the numerous limitations and obstacles they encounter. In the following, Aneta Kankaraš, director of the first professional organization (PRO) in Montenegro, spoke about the role of this organization as an intermediary between producers or importers of waste and the Environmental Protection Agency of Montenegro. In this regard, she pointed out that the implementation of this measure of the new Law on Waste Management is preceded by the finalization of the by-laws relating to the extended responsibility of producers.
After an intensive discussion, it was concluded at the round table that the countries of our region have common challenges when it comes to establishing a sustainable waste management system, so joint efforts are of great importance in order to achieve measurable impacts and results. It is equally important for all countries that it is crucial that the communication between interested parties and actors in the field of waste management be continuous and aimed at finding solutions for obstacles and challenges that are partly caused by national circumstances and partly by the introduction of new European Union directives, the transposition of which requires an additional investment of commitment.
The round table was organized within the Project implemented by the NGO Planktonium from North Macedonia in partnership with Green Home from Montenegro, Ecodesign and Management Institute (EDMI) from Albania and Advocacy Training and Resource Center (ATRC) from Kosovo. The project is supported by the Western Balkans Fund (WBF) and co-financed by the European Union.
