The USAID Plastic Recycling project, in cooperation with Komunalna Higiena, initiates first household plastic collection program in Karpos

On January 28, 2008 children from the Recycling Club at Bratstvo primary school will partner with employees from Komunalna Higiena to distribute bags for the collection of plastic waste to households in Taftalidze 1 and 2.

Mr. Trifun Kostovski, Mayor of the City of Skopje, Mr. Andrej Petrov, Mayor of the Municipality of Karpos, and Mr. Zlatko Dimovski, Director of Komunalna Higiena, will also participate in distributing the first bags. This event represents an important step forward in the implementation of the Municipal PET Collection Program.

USAID sponsored Recycling Clubs are a critical element in raising public awareness about the importance of recycling. Children in these clubs learn about recycling and organize activites to engage other children and the broader community.

"Children are our future, and involving them early in helping to protect the environment shows them that they do have the power to make positive change happen," said USAID Director of Communications Olya Catto.

"We want to live in a cleaner Skopje, in a cleaner environment. That is why today we start a new trend in the Municipality of Karpos - the collection and separation of waste in households. This is an important step in realizing the vision we share with USAID to create a successful city-wide waste management system," said Trifun Kostovski, Mayor of the City of Skopje.

The USAID Plastic Recycling Project, in cooperation with the Municipality of Karpos and Komunalna Higiena, will increase the supply of PET bottles needed to establish an efficient and economically viable PET recycling program in Macedonia.

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 .