For two years, I have been saving every plastic and glass bottle in order to leave them somewhere and be sure that they will be recycled, he tells Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG) interlocutor from Podgorica. She is among the few who separate waste in the household.
There are only 13 recycling yards in Montenegro. And that in Podgorica, Herceg Novi and Kotor. During 2019, one mobile recycling container was installed in the capital. Recently, recycling machines have also been installed.
In such a yard, in the Zabjelo neighborhood of Podgorica, there are several containers for different types of waste: electronic and electrical, paper and cardboard, glass, tires, aluminum cans, PET packaging, plastic, white goods, bulky metal waste, fluorescent tubes, batteries and batteries, eco waste, waste oil... Almost everything can be recycled, except for textiles.
Few people, however, bring waste to these yards. The containers are mostly half-empty, and in some there is almost nothing, as in one for electronic waste, which contains only a few things.
People generally do not know about these yards, and recycling is poorly promoted. The problem is that these centers in Podgorica are in locations that are not "at hand" for the majority of the population.
"As these yards are used on a voluntary basis, they remain reserved only for environmentally conscious citizens. Separation of waste should be mandatory and carried out from door to door, i.e. at the place of origin of waste, making the system easier and more convenient to use, which is the basis for success and good results. Only then can we expect higher rates of separate collection and recycling", they told CIN-CG from the NGO Zero Waste Montenegro.
According to this NGO, after creating the conditions for waste selection, it is necessary to work on education and raising awareness about the importance of recycling and proper handling of waste.
The underdeveloped awareness of the importance of recycling is best illustrated by the fact that the situation in this area is worse than a decade earlier, when negotiations with the European Union (EU) began, in which waste management is one of the important topics.
"This is the fourth year since there has been no State Waste Management Plan, and therefore no local plans either. Thus, in a certain sense, waste in Montenegro is managed naturally," he told CIN-CG Ivana Vojinović, director of the Center for Climate Change, Natural Resources and Energy (CKPPRE) at the University of Donja Gorica (UDG).
According to her, no waste prevention plans have been made at the local level, which is a requirement of European legislation and the first important step towards building a recycling culture.
The country loses tens of millions annually, if not more, and nature is polluted, because it is not recycled and waste is not sorted.
Due to accession negotiations and obligations towards the EU, Montenegro should recycle at least 2030 percent of municipal waste by 50. But in 2022, our country recycled less than half a percent. This can be seen from the Report of the Administration for Statistics (Monstate) on generated and processed waste which was published at the end of last year. In 2022, about 336 thousand tons of municipal waste were produced, and a little more than a thousand tons were recycled.
These Monstat data show that in 2022, one million and 412 thousand tons of waste were produced, of which about 20 percent was hazardous waste. In addition, a resident of Montenegro produces 544 tons of waste per year, and about a kilogram and a half per day.
CIN-CG was told by the company "Deponija" from Podgorica, which manages the recycling center, that 2023 tons of municipal waste were recycled in 560, and cardboard, paper, iron, aluminum cans, plastic bags, PET packaging and mixed plastics are selected.
Instead of progressing - we are regressing
Therefore, since it recycled less than half a percent in 2022, instead of progressing, Montenegro is regressing as the negotiation process progresses. In 2021, about two percent was recycled, similar to 2020 and 2019. It is interesting that the country recycled more in 2013, when negotiations with the EU had just begun, than in recent years.
In the Strategy for waste management in Montenegro until 2030 (Strategy), the structure of waste is only mentioned for 2013. In that year, about 244 thousand tons of municipal waste were produced, of which about 32 thousand tons of paper, 29 thousand tons of plastic, 20 thousand tons glass, 13 thousand tons of PET packaging...
According to the current price list of the company "Deponija" from Podgorica, the purchase prices of old newsprint and office paper are 20, 25 or 60 euros per ton (depending on the class and type), plastic 25, 30 or 50 euros, and PET packaging from 80 to 250 euros. If these materials were recycled, we would save millions of euros, which now end up in some (il)legal landfills. At the lowest prices, we would get about 650 euros for paper recycling alone, 725 euros for plastic, and over a million euros for PET packaging.
In the Report on the Implementation of the State Waste Management Plan for 2013, it was stated that in most municipalities, containers for the primary selection of municipal waste (paper, cardboard, metal, plastic, glass) were installed, but that the collection of the selected fractions was not carried out separately, but containers with selected and mixed waste are emptied at the same time, and the selected part ends up in one of the mixed landfills.
CIN-CG addressed all municipalities in Montenegro, and obtained data that most do not carry out separate waste collection, even when decisions are made about it by local authorities.
"We could not start implementing the decision due to personnel and technical limitations", they stated for CIN-CG from "Communal Activities" in Šavnik.
They say the same from other municipalities.
"There is no recycling of waste in Žabljak, nor has it ever been done, even though we own a facility that did not recycle, but only sorted waste, even during the period when it was still functioning," they told CIN-CG from the Office of the President of the Municipality of Žabljak.
Cetinje does not have a facility for recycling and selection of mixed municipal waste, nor is its construction foreseen in the planning documentation.
"Mixed municipal waste, collected by DOO 'Komunalno' Cetinje, is taken from the territory of the municipality every day to the regional sanitary landfill 'Livade' in Podgorica, where it is selected in a special facility," the office of the mayor of Prijestonica Cetinje told CIN-CG. .
There is no recycling center in Andrijevica either, and there is no money for its construction, they confirmed from this municipality.
From 2021, paper, PVC waste, cardboard and glass will be recycled in Plav, using dedicated presses, according to the Plav municipality.
In Herceg Novi, the decision on separate disposal of waste is only partially respected, which is the result of low awareness among fellow citizens, the local government points out. They state that among the big problems in recycling is non-compliance with the Law on Waste Management.
By the way, the proposal of this law was adopted in the Parliament of Montenegro at the end of last year, and it deals with, among other things, the issue of waste from single-use plastic products and waste fishing gear that contains plastic.
Citizens of Podgorica dispose of mixed municipal waste in a container for dry fraction
And from Podgorica "Čistoća" for CIN-CG they also confirmed that separate collection of waste gives minimal results. This concept, as they explain, was planned first by installing three bins (for paper, plastic and metal), then two bins (dry and wet fraction of municipal waste), but the required level of selective separation of waste at the point of origin, i.e. in the household, was missing. which is why the bins predominantly contain mixed municipal waste.
In mid-January of this year, this company monitored the unloading of the truck emptying the containers for the dry fraction, in order to determine the content of the collected waste. The analysis confirmed that citizens do not use the container for the dry fraction of communal waste, despite the prominent labels and numerous appeals sent through the media, in an adequate way, but instead dispose of mixed communal waste in it.
"It is a confirmation that citizens do not accept this concept of waste disposal. Bearing in mind that habits are difficult to change, we think that the application of a penal policy would be the fastest way to suppress non-compliance with the rules of waste management", they state from this company.
The office of the mayor of Cetinje explains that there is no adequate, stimulating pricing policy and that companies that provide municipal waste collection services could provide discounts for households that are ready to separately collect those types of municipal waste that are generated in the household and that can be recycled. .
Montenegro does not have a landfill for hazardous waste, nor is it planning one
"The Bar company for sanitary and environmental protection 'Hemosan', which is the only one licensed to dispose of hazardous waste properly, asked me about 100 euros, plus VAT, for the transport service from Podgorica to Bar and the storage of two small packages of pesticides, which I wanted to get rid of it," a woman from Podgorica, who was doing research on pesticides, told CIN-CG.
In the end, even though it was hazardous waste, she was forced to throw the pesticides into the container.
It is not rare to see that unscrupulous citizens leave waste outside the container. Among this waste, there is also dangerous waste.
Montenegro does not have a landfill for hazardous waste, and its opening is not foreseen in the existing State Waste Management Plan for the period from 2015 to 2020 (State Plan), nor in the draft of that document for the period from 2023 to 2028.
In the Konik settlement of Podgorica, on Ćemovsko polje and behind the landfill, for years irresponsible individuals have been burning tires for the sake of wire that they later sell, and it often happened that these fires spread. When tires are burned, dioxin is released - a highly toxic pollutant that, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, disrupt hormones and cause serious diseases, such as cancer.
For decades, the state has not found a way to adequately deal with this problem.
Medical waste, various types of batteries and accumulators are disposed of negligently...
In Montenegro, the opening of the Brskovo mine, near Mojkovac, is also planned, but the consequences of the waste that would be generated there, and if it were disposed of recklessly, are obviously not thought about. Thus, the waste from the mine, which would contain mercury and some other heavy metals such as cadmium and arsenic, could additionally endanger the nature and health of the inhabitants of Montenegro.
Only Kotor prepares paper, plastic, glass and metal for recycling
Until the publication of this text, CIN-CG did not manage to get answers to numerous questions from other municipalities. However, in the Report on the Implementation of the State Plan for Waste Management in Montenegro for 2022, which was published at the end of last year, it is stated that even in Bijelo Polje, Danilovgrad, Gusinje, Pljevlja, Ulcinj, Tuzi, Rožaje, Petnjica, Berane, Budva and Bar there is no separate disposal of waste.
The situation is somewhat better in Herceg Novi, Kolašin, Kotor and Tivat, where bulky and green waste are collected separately and compost bins are used, where significant amounts of green waste are processed. The composting plant is planned for four municipalities - Kotor, Herceg Novi, Budva and Tivat, but its capacities are not sufficient, so only waste from the municipality of Kotor is treated.
These data show that the municipalities of Andrijevica, Berane, Bijelo Polje, Žabljak, Danilovgrad, Nikšić, Gusinje, Pljevlja, Plužine, Cetinje, Rožaje, Ulcinj, Šavnik, Petnjica and Tuzi did not separate any waste for recycling.
The other municipalities included in the report, Bar, Mojkovac, Budva, Podgorica, Kolašin, Tivat and Herceg Novi separated at least some of the paper, glass, plastic and metal for recycling, while only Kotor prepared for reuse all of these materials - about a thousand tons waste.
"The problem of recycling is truly systemic, because many local governments fail to deal with the waste they create, and at the state level there are no specific instructions on who is responsible for what in the complex system of collecting, sorting and recycling useful waste. There is not much incentive to change the situation, because currently recycling is not competitive compared to waste disposal", says Ivana Vojinović.
In order for the recycling system to start functioning, she explains, the work of the inspection bodies must be improved.
"Montenegro will have to improve its recycling rate, which is currently one of the lowest on the continent. The adoption of European standards will mean a changed image in our personal spaces, which is more bins in households, waste disposal planning and the procurement of special bins and bags, which is a culture that, unlike Montenegro, has been present in many countries for a long time," says Vojinović. .
CIN-CG addressed the communal police of municipalities with the question of how many fines were written for improper waste disposal in the period from 2018 to the end of last year. We received answers only from the Municipality of Pljevlja, Municipality of Budva and Municipality of Kotor.
In Pljevlja, only three fines were imposed for this offense, from 30 to XNUMX euros, and all fines were imposed on natural persons.
"...In many cases it was not possible to identify the perpetrator", say the Pljeval Municipal Police.
In Budva, 354 misdemeanor orders were issued, worth 65.470 euros, for improper disposal of waste, mostly next to container stations and local and main roads.
"The Municipality of Budva has not owned a site for depositing waste for five years, which it was obliged to do in the planning documents. This makes work difficult," say representatives of the Budva Communal Police.
They point out that illegal dumping is usually done during the evening hours, when there are fewer municipal inspectors in the field, and this is most often in Jaz, Topliški put, Markovići, Stanišići, Reževici, Bečići, Paštrovska gora and Buljarica.
In Kotor, 15 natural persons were sanctioned in the amount of EUR 7, as well as 500 legal entities in the amount of EUR 16, the Kotor Inspection Service told CIN-CG.
Nikšić without a waste management plan despite the huge problem with pollution
There is no separate collection of municipal waste and recycling in Nikšić, and it is the only municipality in Montenegro that has not had a municipal and non-hazardous construction waste management plan for years.
They obviously don't know their priorities, says the activist Ivana Cogurić.
"The Gračanica River has been turned into a landfill along its entire course. "Instead of repairing this wound of the city, they are investing in the reconstruction of the bridges on that river, which, according to experts, are in extremely good condition," points out Čogurić, from the "Ecopatriotism" movement.
It is necessary, she believes, to understand that waste is a resource and to enable citizens to recycle outside the household as well, by placing recycling machines on the streets.
"Thus, they could get money from the can on the spot."
Recycling machines were recently installed in five locations in Podgorica, where citizens, by inserting plastic bottles (PET or cans), receive in return a certain amount of food for homeless dogs. Similar recycling machines still exist in Kotor, where by inserting two plastic bottles, citizens "buy" food for street cats, a symbol of the city.
The Secretariat for Communal Affairs and Traffic of the Municipality of Nikšić told CIN-CG that they have prepared a Draft Local Plan for the Management of Communal and Non-Hazardous Construction Waste. They also state that the preparation of technical documentation for the construction of the recycling yard, as well as the Draft Decision on the method of separate collection and collection of municipal waste in the territory of Nikšić, is underway.
In Europe, more than 50 percent of municipal waste is recycled
In 2020, over 300 illegal landfills were recorded in Montenegro. This is shown by data from the Draft State Waste Management Plan for the period from 2023 to 2028..
There are the most uncontrolled landfills in the territory of Bijelo Polje - 106.
For years, warnings have been coming from the European Commission (EC) that little progress has been made in the field of waste management, and that our national legislation is partially harmonized with the EU.
Almost all countries in Europe, according to data from the European Environmental Protection Agency (EEA), except Sweden, have significantly increased municipal waste recycling rates since 2004. Some countries, such as Germany, Austria, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Italy, recycle up to 50 percent of this type of waste, and some of them even more.
Finland and Sweden recycle about 40 percent of this waste, and Poland more than that.
There are also countries that are making less progress, such as Cyprus, Malta, Turkey and Romania, which recycle less than 20 percent of waste.
Croatia recycles about 30 percent of waste, Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to the statistics agency of that country, about 20 percent, and the recycling rate in Serbia is about 15 percent. So everyone more than Montenegro.
"Waste prevention is a priority. Less generated waste facilitates the entire waste management system", according to the NGO Zero Waste Montenegro.
The EU directive on single-use plastics came into force in July 2021. It is part of the European Green Plan, which envisages an economic and energy transition, so that Europe can reach the goal of climate neutrality by 2050. EU member states are required by the directive to adopt a series of measures to reduce the amount of single-use plastic and environmental pollution by 2030.
Thus, the obligation to separate collection for recycling as much as 90 percent of plastic bottles for beverages, up to three liters, is introduced until 2029, as well as the ban on the production and sale of certain plastic products (ear sticks, food containers, cups and bags, accessories for dish, straw...).
The European Green Plan also contains a number of strategies for adapting to climate change, preserving biodiversity, developing industry and energy, managing forests, chemicals and hazardous substances...
Montenegro, although far from all this, would have to adapt if it wants to fulfill its obligations on the way to the EU.
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