HOUSEHOLD PLASTIC COLLECTION PROGRAM EMBRACED BY THE LOCAL LEADERS AND CITISENS IN GOSTIVAR

USAID Plastic Recycling Project in cooperation with the Public Utility Company "Komunalec" - Gostivar began distributing bags for plastic waste selection on 22 March 2008. Students from the primary school "Mustafa Kemal Ataturk" joined the activity with huge enthusiasm. The director of the PUC "Komunalec" - Gostivar Hasip Jusufi and vice principle of the school Saso Merdzanoski participated at this event. USAID Plastic Recycling Project was represented by the Chief of Party, Arian Toska and Ljupco Avramovski, Senior Advisor.

"The mission of the USAID Plastic Recycling Project is to establish an efficient and economically viable PET recycling in Macedonia by creating a public-private partnership within the municipality. For this purpose, on 8 November 2007, the USAID Plastic Recycling Project signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Municipality of Gostivar for the implementation of its Plastic waste collection program and for the conduct of a public awareness campaign", said Arian Toska, Chief of Party of the Plastic Recycling Project.

“We are committed  to make Gostivar a cleaner city. That is why today "Komunalec" - Gostivar begins working with new standards - collecting and selection of plastic waste from the households. This is a very important step in the process of preserving the environment in Gostivar", said the director of "Komunalec" – Gostivar Hasip Jusufi.

“Public awareness campaigns are very important segment of the USAID Plastic Recycling Project. Students are our voice and we are amazed by their enthusiasm. American people through USAID established Recycling Clubs in all schools included in project implementation. The mere fact that students from the Recycling Club are included in today's action proves they can give an essential contribution to the process of rising of public awareness among the citizens", said Bojan Lazarevski, regional representative for Gostivar in the USAID Plastic Recycling Project.

According to the previously defined plan, 15 work groups were assembled, each composed of one employee from "Komunalec" and two children from the school. Each group covered a previously planed region, made a short presentation of the PET collecting system to the households and gave them one yellow bag each for PET and a blue one for paper waste.