Waste

Japan funds construction of Macedonia’s first EU-standard landfill

Photo: Facebook/UNDP MK

Published

November 5, 2018

Country

Comments

0

Share

Published:

November 5, 2018

Country:

Comments:

0

Share

Macedonia has completed the construction of its first EU-standard sanitary landfill, in a USD 1 million project funded by the Japanese government that will enable the southeastern municipality of Gevgelija to shut down its current illegal dumpsite, which long ago exceeded its capacity, posing serious environmental and health risks.

Japanese Ambassador Keiko Haneda said that Macedonia faces serious waste management challenges, and that the construction of the first EU-standard landfill sets an example for other towns and regions in the country to follow. “I hope that this modern landfill will play a critical role in the future system for integrated waste management for the country’s southeast,” Haneda said, according to a press release from the UN Development Programme (UNDP), which helped build the new landfill.

“With the opening of this new facility in Novo Konjsko, we will finally solve the problem of solid waste, and soon we will start seeing the environmental benefits,” said Gevgelija Mayor Sasho Pockov. As operations get under way, residents will be asked to start sorting their waste, he said, urging them to embrace a greener approach.

Gevgelija landfill project took two years to cut through red tape

UNDP Resident Representative in Macedonia Louisa Vinton urged the municipality to put the new landfill into operation as soon as possible, noting that it took a full two years to navigate the bureaucratic labyrinth to secure all the necessary permits.

Now that the facility has been completed, “ministers, mayors and ordinary citizens will be able to see firsthand that an EU-standard landfill is anything but a garbage dump,” Vinton said, adding that UNDP hopes this will help speed the progress of the five planned regional landfills in Macedonia.

The landfill in the Gevgelija municipality is part of a broader USD 2.2 million effort by UNDP to support the municipalities most affected by the refugee crisis of 2015-2016.

Among the other initiatives funded by Japan were the refurbishment of a pumping station in Gevgelija, which doubled the municipality’s supply of arsenic-free drinking water, and a river regulation project to reduce flood risk along the Lipkovska River in the northeastern municipality of Kumanovo, according to the press release.

Comments (0)

Be the first one to comment on this article.

Enter Your Comment
Please wait... Please fill in the required fields. There seems to be an error, please refresh the page and try again. Your comment has been sent.

Related Articles

International Day of Forests-Forests and innovation new solutions for a better world

International Day of Forests 2024 – Forests and innovation: new solutions for a better world

20 March 2024 - The 2024 International Day of Forests 2024 is all about innovations. They can help us restore, protect, and sustainably utilize our forests.

EU-Critical-Raw-Materials-Act-crma-looser-social-environmental-rules

EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act adopted with looser social, environmental rules

19 March 2024 - Pursuing strategic autonomy, the European Union put together the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) after a major delay in the last phase

global-recycling-day-2024

Global Recycling Day 2024 to celebrate #RecyclingHeroes

16 March 2024 - Global Recycling Day 2024 is putting the spotlight on people, places, businesses and activities that showcase the importance of recycling

Solar Startup Award 2024 Solar Materials recycling

Solar Startup Award 2024 goes to Solar Materials for recycling tech

07 March 2024 - The startup has developed a recycling technology that allows the recovery of raw materials from solar panels at a 98% rate