Novi Pazar is improving waste management with the EU support - expansion of the Recycling Centre started

With the EU grants of over 370,000 Euros, extended through the EU PRO Plus programme, which is implemented by UNOPS in cooperation with the Ministry of European Integration, the facility of the Recycling Centre will be expanded, while the procurement of new equipment will speed up work processes. Additionally the CIty will procure a specialised vehicle for collecting and transporting textile and other recycling waste.

The City of Novi Pazar, which participates in the project with more than 130,000 Euros, is thus starting an important project that should contribute to improving the quality of the environment by collecting textile and other recycling waste, which until now ended up in landfills or was used as fuel in boilers. At the same time, the Public Utility Company (PUC) "Gradska čistoća" will collect waste directly from producers, which will facilitate their business and enable them to meet the requirements for the treatment of waste textiles that are necessary for placement on the EU market. Until now, Novi Pazar and PUC "Gradska čistoća" were the leaders in the region in terms of the amount of recyclable waste collected, and with the increase in the capacity of the Recycling Centre, the goal is to increase the amount of recyclable waste by 50% already in the first year after the implementation of the project.

The project also includes the procurement of equipment and machines for the School of Textile and Leather Design in order to ensure its inclusion in the recycling process, while the workshops on primary waste separation, which proved to be key in achieving results, will contribute to education and the involvement of the wider community in models of sustainable waste management practices.

This integrated project derived from the Urban Area Development Strategy of the City of Novi Pazar, which was developed with EU support presents the foundation for further sustainable development. The strategy is a kind of guideline for the improvement of social, economic, ecological, cultural and spatial aspects of the city's development, which takes into account the potentials as well as solving the problems that Novi Pazar is facing. The city received support from the EU for the implementation of another integrated project "Better traffic for a better life in Novi Pazar", which envisages the preparation of a general study for the improvement of traffic solutions and urban mobility.

These two projects are part of a wider package of 18 integrated projects derived from the territorial strategies, which the European Union supports with more than 9.6 million Euros through the EU PRO Plus programme. This programme has piloted an integrated approach to territorial development that activates the potentials and resources of given territories, solves common problems and promotes the joint work of larger cities and smaller municipalities, with the active participation of the civil and business sector and local communities, with the aim of contributing to a better life for the population.