In Montenegro, only 1,8 percent of municipal waste is recycled, according to the data of the Monstat Administration of Statistics in the study "Generated and processed waste in Montenegro in 2021". Of the 297 thousand tons of municipal waste collected, only 5,6 thousand tons were recycled.
According to comparative data, Croatia recycled 43 percent of municipal waste last year, although its plan was to recycle more than 2020 percent by 50. Slovenia has the same percentage, in Serbia about four percent of municipal waste is recycled, and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to data from 2019, one percent.
The percentage of recycled municipal waste in Montenegro is the same or lower than in previous years. For example, that percentage was 2,38 percent in 2013, when the Strategy for waste management in Montenegro until 2030 was prepared. Municipal waste is considered to be waste collected by municipal companies from households, service activities and others.
According to this Strategy, harmonized with EU regulations and standards, Montenegro should recycle at least 2030 percent of municipal waste by 50, i.e. 27 times more than now. According to these data, a resident of Montenegro produces 1,4 kilograms of waste per day.
A continuous and comprehensive analysis of the content of municipal waste has not been done in Montenegro until now, as stated in this strategy, but based on the results of the analyzes done until then, it has shown that the percentage of waste generated in Montenegro can be expressed as follows.
According to the analyzes of the average content of municipal waste, specified in this strategy, it was estimated that the amount of waste should include 30 thousand tons of paper, 29 thousand tons of plastic, 20 thousand tons of glass, 13 thousand tons of PET packaging (plastic bottles), 12 thousand tons of green waste, nine thousand tons of composite packaging, six thousand tons of wood, four thousand tons of non-ferrous metals, 2,7 thousand tons of heavy metals...
According to the price list of the Podgorica Landfill, if these quantities were really collected, 300 thousand euros would be obtained for paper, about 900 thousand euros for plastic, 1,9 million euros for PET packaging, two million euros for non-ferrous metals, half a million euros for heavy metals... The landfill does not buy glass, but these quantities, according to prices in neighboring countries, would be worth around half a million euros.
According to these data, it can be concluded that in the amount of municipal waste that is buried or thrown in landfills every year, there are secondary raw materials worth around seven million euros. The value of recycling, as stated in the Strategy, is also in the fact that the amount of discarded waste is replaced, that is, the cost of building new sanitary bathtubs is reduced.
Calculating waste from the processing industry, mining, other industrial and economic branches and the public sector, in Montenegro, according to Monstat data, a total of 1,47 million tons of various waste is produced annually, of which 304 thousand tons are considered hazardous.
The most waste comes from industry and mining, 763 thousand tons, from households 230 thousand tons, from construction 187 thousand tons, from service activities 119 thousand tons... Of these amounts, 112 thousand tons were recycled, or 7,6 percent of the total amount of all waste.
"According to the Law on Waste Management, the goals are defined, at least 50% of the total amount of collected waste material, such as glass, paper, metal and plastic, should be prepared for reuse and recycling by 2020, while in the same period it is necessary to prepare for the reuse of at least 70% of non-hazardous construction waste", stated in the strategy published in 2015.
The goals from 2015 were good, but nothing was achieved
The strategy and other accompanying strategic documents foresee a number of goals, the main ones being the improvement of the quality of life and the protection of the environment.
The general goal of the Strategy from 2015 is "successful, functional and sustainable waste management system in Montenegro", which according to the results did not happen.
Other goals of the strategy, where there has also been no progress for the past seven years, include the accelerated and intensive development of public awareness of the necessity of solving the situation in the country in terms of waste management, as well as the binding participation of the population, the economy and state institutions in the functioning and respect of the established system of waste management.
The goal was to introduce the principles of circular economy into the production and trade system in Montenegro with the clear goal of improving the reuse of materials and products, as well as increasing the degree of utilization of biodegradable waste, preparing the waste management system for the future use of energy from waste...
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