As can be seen, bio-waste which includes green waste from gardens and parks, food and kitchen waste from households and restaurants, and similar waste from food processing is a large proportion of municipal solid waste. Bio-waste going to landfills costs money to transport, it fills available landfill space, the material degrades to produce greenhouse gasses, and the natural material is lost and can no longer be used. Serbia’s reform of waste management and EU accession process is an opportunity to make significant improvements, BW5R is part of that effort.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The overall objective of this EU contribution is to support the implementation of the Green Agenda in the Republic of Serbia. Specifically, this cooperation between Serbia and the EU is to enhance the capacities of the national and local authorities in order to allow them to plan, organize and implement the introduction of bio(green)-waste source separation into 25 targeted cities/municipalities across five waste management regions namely Subotica, Pančevo, Sremska Mitrovica (Srem-Mačva), Užice (Duboko) and Pirot. The project includes technical assistance, the supply of waste management equipment and public communications support, and is expected to last 24 months (January 2025 – December 2026).
PUBLIC AWARENESS AND PARTICIPATION
Public understanding and cooperation are essential in modern waste management systems. The households and businesses that generate different types of waste are in the best position to make sure that this material does not go to landfill. BW5R will support local public utility companies to encourage more households to start home composting and prepare bio-waste for collection.
The campaign will inform and educate citizens about how to best compost at home or prepare green waste to be collected by the public service. The new services will include collection from individual households, small businesses (restaurants, groceries, supermarkets, and green markets), and green waste from public places.
RESULT
This project enables people to support a healthier environment. Composting will directly contribute to meeting Serbia's climate change and circular economy targets. The cities and municipalities involved in this project could divert up to 40,000 tons of green waste a year from landfills.
The EU, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the local self-governments are working together to make this project successful. The EU investment in total is 14,1 million EUR, of which over 90% will be into equipment that local and regional utility companies will use every day.