Bins for selective waste disposal have been set up in Plužine

In the past 6 months, Parks Dinarides have implemented the project “Let’s separate waste together” in cooperation with the Municipality of Plužine, LLC “Komunalno Plužine” and Nature Park Piva. The goal of the project is to support the implementation of the Local Plan for Municipal and Non-Hazardous Construction Waste Management in the Municipality of Plužine for the period 2016-2020 by educating the citizens about the need for selective waste disposal, as well as to improve communal infrastructure by installing bins for dry and wet waste fraction.

Namely, as the previous practice in Montenegro has shown that waste collection according to the principle of primary selection in several bins, for PET, glass, paper, metal and other waste, is inefficient and the result is mostly mixed waste in each of them, the new State Waste Management Plan foresaw the introduction of a new system of so-called Two Bins System for separate collection of dry and wet fractions (bucket or container, smaller or larger volumes).

This system implies performing primary selection i.e., separation of waste at the place of its origin, in two bins: DRY BIN — joint separation of primarily selected materials such as paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, rubber, metal, textiles, etc. and WET BIN — separation of other waste, which is mainly wet due to the presence of food residues, materials of organic origin, garden waste, hygiene products, etc.

With the project the communal infrastructure in the Municipality of Plužine has improved through the procurement and installation of 22 bins for selective waste disposal i.e. dry and wet components. The bins are visibly marked with stickers/posters with information about the type of waste that is disposed in them.

Bins for selective waste disposal have been set up at 11 locations: Elementary school “Braća Topalović”; Dormitory; Kindergarten; Market Idea; Market Aroma; Rosulje settlement; Plužine Municipality Building; Health center; Plužine Cultural Center; Post Office; Nature Park Piva.

In addition, waste can be separated at the existing locations of containers located next to the Idea market, the Aroma market, in Marko Kulića Street next to the new building, in Baja Pivljanina Street, as well as in the settlement of Rosulje. All containers for this purpose are marked with appropriate stickers for dry and wet waste fraction, which fulfills the conditions for the establishment of a primary selection system on the principle of two bins: dry and wet.

In addition to improving the communal infrastructure, the project, in accordance with the Local Waste Management Plan, also improved public awareness regarding the proper disposal of waste.

To this end, Parks Dinarides have prepared and, in cooperation with the Utility Company Plužine, distributed educational material (brochures and flyers) through which the citizens of the Municipality of Plužine (collective and individual housing) received all necessary information about the importance and need of primary selection, collection of municipal waste and how and where they can do it on the territory of Plužine. Educational material (flyers) were distributed to citizens by delivery with bills for waste collection, in mailboxes and with “door to door” distribution. The materials were also distributed to the students of the Elementary School in Plužine through an educational workshop, which was held via the online platform google classroom due to the new situation in the country caused by the COVID-19.

The goal of educational activities and information material is primarily to strengthen the awareness of citizens that we can indirectly influence the reduction of waste in nature, contribute to energy savings, reduce pollution and consumption of natural resources and learn together about the importance and need for selective waste separation, and to adopt habits for the selective disposal of waste until it becomes a legal obligation.

The project was implemented with the support of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism through a Public competition for financing environmental awareness programs on the need to introduce a system of separate collection of municipal waste and it lasted 6 months.