On March 3, 2023, in Sevojno, the Project for Household Waste Separation "O-DVA-JA-MO" was promoted in the city of Užice, which received 5,350 blue bins in which households will separate paper, plastic and metal. In addition, 570 blue containers for the same purpose and 124 yellow containers for glass were donated, as well as two trucks for the removal of separated dry waste.
The project aims to establish a system for waste separation at the point of origin in 17 municipalities across Serbia by investing not only in equipment but also in informing citizens about the advantages of separating household waste for its later successful recycling, in order to reduce the amounts that end up in landfills. and the recycling rate in 4 regions increased to 15% in the next two years.
This project is implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia with the support of the European Union and the Kingdom of Sweden.
The project "O-dva-ja-mo" was presented on the plateau of the elementary school "Aleksa Dejović" in Sevojno, in the presence of Dr Jelena Raković Radivojević, mayor of the city of Užice, Mrs Nada Jovičić, the city councilwoman for environmental protection, energy efficiency and tourism, Mr Branislav Marić, executive director for technical affairs of PUK Bioktoš, Mr John Glazebrook, program manager of the EISP2 project and guests.
"Separating waste and caring for the environment has become normal all over Europe and all over the world. Now it will become normal in Užice as one of the pioneering cities and municipalities in Serbia when it comes to waste management. These are modern waste management services that every citizen deserves. The governments of the Republic of Serbia and Sweden and the European Union cooperated to provide over 90,000 bins and containers and many trucks. We are now handing over this project to the citizens of Užice, you have the strength and power to make this project yours," underlined John Glazebrook, program manager of the EISP2 project.
The city councilor for environmental protection, energy efficiency and tourism, Mrs Nada Jovičić, confirmed that the "O-DVA-JA-MO" household waste separation project is the key to the development of waste management in the city of Užice:
""As a city, we strive to establish such a system, we started from the municipality of Sevojno and will continue until the last bin in this project is distributed in the city of Užice. The equipment we received will enable us to treat the environment and ourselves in a goodly manner. Its importance is shown by the fact that we received it from the international community, which recognized us as a city that has the potential and the ability to succeed in achieving the goal, and the goal is to preserve the environment and enable healthier lives for our children."
"A certain number of households in Užice are familiar with the household waste separation process that we implemented through the cross-border cooperation program with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and thanks to this project, 5,350 households in Užice will be covered by primary selection," said the mayor and invited the residents of Sevojno and Užice to get involved in waste selection, thereby contributing to a healthier environment for current and future generations. She thanked the donors and project partners who recognized Užice as a city with the potential to establish a sustainable waste management system.
Eco-ambassadors of the Project informed the present fellow citizens about the advantages of waste separation and recycling for the environment and the local community.
