UNMIK/FR/012/01
FEATURE RELEASE - 2 February, 2001

Environment

Aluminium recycling: a project with promise

In most European countries, separation and recycling of household refuse is part the national psyche, the car trip to the local refuse dump a regular weekend family chore. Metallic aluminium from drink cans is one of the more valuable materials thus recovered.

In New Jersey, USA, families are actively encouraged to separate their aluminium, (also glass and plastics) from the rest of their garbage: the penalty otherwise is a stiff fine from their local government. In California, rich and poor alike crush their aluminium drink cans in special machines outside supermarkets-in order to receive back the small deposit they paid when purchasing the beverages.

But we in Pristina and in most of Kosovo simply throw away our used aluminium with the rest of our trash. As individuals, restauranteurs, bar owners, hoteliers we have little incentive and no logistical support to do otherwise. However, it is also a habit  that would soon be a thing of the past if the Regional Environment Centre for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) has its way.

REC is a neutral, non-advocacy, not-for-profit organisation set up jointly by the United States, the European Commission and Hungary.  Its field office in Pristina identifies aluminium collection as one of several projects that can help improve the environmental situation in Kosovo. It picks used aluminium recycling because the metal can be melted and used again and again. There is also an existing aluminium smelting plant in Janjevo (near Lipjan) that currently runs at around one tenth of its design capacity. The other reason was environmental: leaving aluminium in with the other domestic trash means it gets thrown into landfills (or worse yet, left in parks and green areas) where takes up space and almost never disintegrates.
REC's project to recycle aluminium thus serves two purposes: it improves the urban environment and provides income for local environmental NGOs, schools and individuals. Its realization will also improve the Janjevo smelter's economy: the plan currently purchases only some 22 tons per month from collectors in the local area, whereas it could process up to 250 tons of aluminium cans monthly.

Brainstorming by the Department of the Environment, the NGO Balkan Sunflowers and the Municipality of Pristina showed that this could be a viable, sustainable project. But it would need both start-up funding and a much larger catchment area than Janjevo and the surrounding Lipjan municipality. The Municipality of Pristina had to play a part.
 
The project therefore brought together the Swedish International Development Agency to provide funding, the Municipality of Pristina to provide the main collection point, and the local NGO Young Ecologists. The international NGO Balkan Sunflowers has been associated with the concept from the outside and will act as consultant and provider of management training. 

Now in the start-up phase, the project could be expanded throughout Kosovo. However, it does rely on cooperation from the general public. Its protagonists hope that people will stop throwing away aluminium when they realise that they are basically throwing away good money.
Kosovars, like their counterparts in the North America and and Europe, will hopefully learn that it pays to recycle.   

For a selection of photographs, please contact Mr. Ky Chung at 038 504-604 ext. 5467

Contact: David Kahrmann
(038) 504 604 Ext. 5589
E-mail: kahrmann@un.org