PLASTIC RECYCLING AT THE EUROPEAN COURTYARD

On May 16th, 2009, MDC-Ti.Net joined the celebration of ‘Europe Day’, participating actively at the event titled ‘European House’. For this purpose Macedonia Square in Skopje was transformed into an open-air house. The “house” consisted of 5 rooms, and each hosted diverse activities.

MDC-TI.Net organized eco-activities at the “courtyard” of the house. The theme was recycling of plastic PET-bottles. Thanks to the Public Utility Company “Komunalna Higiena”, an iron container for primary selection of PET waste was placed at the designated area. More than 100 students from the elementary school “Dimo Hadzi Dimov”, Skopje, demonstrated the process of recycling.

Students wearing yellow t-shirts associated with the USAID Plastic Recycling Project mascot, PET-MEN, selected plastic by color, removed caps, pressed the selected bottles, and finally offered the selected plastic to their class mates playing the role of the recycling companies.
This activity caught the attention of the Chief of Delegation of the European Union and High Representative of the European Commission, Erwan Fouere. During his interaction with students, H.E. Fouere was introduced to the activities in the courtyard and students’ ongoing eco-activities.

“Recycling is an excellent manner for managing waste, especially when the youngsters are the ones delivering the message. Environmental teaching is very important in education of the young population,” said Fouere. He went on to say that informal collectors of plastic waste play an important role in decreasing the quantities of PET thrown in wild dumps; which at the same time provides a source of livelihood for their families.

NOTE TO EDITORS:
The American people, through USAID, have invested nearly $500 million in Macedonia since 1993. USAID is implementing projects that create jobs, reduce corruption, and prepare Macedonian students for the workforce. These initiatives improve the quality of life and support Macedonia’s transition to a stable and prosperous democracy. USAID provides economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 100 countries. For more information please visit http://macedonia.usaid.gov.