China to ban single use plastics, bags in phases
The National Development and Reform Commission said in Beijing that the state would by 2025 establish a comprehensive system for the production, sales, consumption, processing and disposal of plastic items. Big cities are first up to roll out the changes, while other places will have more time to adjust. China wants to eradicate most of […]
Serbia gets the Cadastre of Mining Waste with EU help
Serbia got its Cadastre of Mining Waste in an eponymous project implemented by the Ministry of Mining and Energy with the European Union’s financial support. The project worth EUR 2.1 million, which lasted from February 2017 to January 2020, has contributed to the further development and improvement of the system for responsible and sustainable mining […]
EU lifts green investment target by EUR 260 billion per year by 2030
The Sustainable Europe Investment Plan will mobilize at least EUR 1 trillion in the next decade, the European Commission has said. The so-called Just Transition Mechanism, which is being set up by the EU with the responsibility for the green investment part worth EUR 100 billion from 2021 to 2027, comes with a support fund […]
Clim@ finalist Episome adding clients for waste paper sludge processing
Every year, the paper industry spends EUR 3 billion on the disposal of waste and related fines and fees. A medium-sized plant loses EUR 7 million this way, where paper sludge is a major item in the expenses. Episome Biotechnologies, a startup established in Turkey, managed to bypass it by breaking down the material with […]
Serbia’s budget lowered by EUR 57 million on poor collection of industrial waste fees
Serbia’s state budget revenues came in RSD 6.7 billion or EUR 57 million lower from 2014 to 2018 due to unpaid fees on imported vehicles, products that enter specific waste streams after use, according to the report on industrial waste management produced by the State Audit Institution. The report by the agency known for its […]
KfW provides EUR 11 million for two regional landfills in Serbian cities
The Serbian government and German development bank KfW have signed financing agreements of EUR 11 million for regional landfills in Kruševac and Vranje, according to the Serbian Ministry for Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure. Serbian Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure Minister Zorana Mihajlović said that out of EUR 11 million, EUR 10 million is a donation for […]
Sofia upgrading air pollution response system, may restrict traffic
The center of Bulgaria’s capital city has good air quality for the first time since the beginning of December, according to data from Air Visual. After spiking to as much as 170 points on a daily scale, the US AQI measure finally fell slightly below 50 by noon, though the second half of the day […]
Serbia rolls out ecotax – firms to pay up to EUR 17,000 per year
The Government of Serbia adopted a directive dividing the corporate sector into three categories according to environmental impact and imposed ecological taxation. Firms are in four groups with regard to size. Persons taxable with property tax were also included at the bottom, with a levy of RSD 1,200 (EUR 10.2) per annum. The ecotax was […]