Waste, scraps, and garbage are synonymous with uselessness and dirt. However, in North Macedonia, they can become a valuable resource that adds economic and environmental value and represents a path to redemption for the Romani population. We are in the city of Prilep, in the Pelagonia region, close to the border with Greece. This area has witnessed history and the forging of Western civilization. Here, rulers such as Darius, Philip, and Alexander the Great reigned. The region is a melting pot of cultures, but it also boasts a natural heritage with invaluable environmental value, such as the Markovi Kuli protected area.

In recent years, this wealth has been seriously endangered by neglect. In North Macedonia, waste has progressively increased, from 351 kg per person in 2010 to 451 kg in 2020. In the Pelagonia region, in particular, 97,067 tons of waste were collected in 2021: 67,947 tons from individual municipalities, with the rest gathered by informal collectors. Many of these waste materials are dumped in illegal quarries and burned, severely impacting the environment. This also happens in the surrounding areas of the Markovi Kuli protected area, which are degraded by illegal landfills that mar the landscape. Among the informal collectors, authorities estimate that between three and five thousand are of Romani ethnicity. For them, waste collection and disposal are their only source of income, but this activity clashes with both communal living laws and legal codes.

It is in this specific context that the project Civil Society in Action for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Urban Development was launched. Through this project, the aim is to involve a group of Roma already active in waste collection and disposal, and organize them into a team that will handle not only waste collection but also recycling of waste materials. This group will coordinate with the municipality of Prilep to improve the waste collection and disposal system, especially on the fringes of the Markovi Kuli protected area. Simultaneously, the project seeks to work with civil society associations, offering them training programs and grants to promote environmental activities aligned with European values of respecting nature and protecting human rights.

Project Summary

• Waste Management Based on the Involvement of the Romani Community
• Selection of 30 Romani waste collectors
• Creation of a waste collection group inspired by the principles of the circular economy
• Mapping of illegal quarries
• Development and implementation of a pilot waste management model in coordination with local authorities
• Purchase of materials
• Training for Environmental Organizations in the Pelagonia Region
• Launch of green actions based on local environmental organizations
• Creation of a fund and allocation of financial resources
• Organization of technical courses for local environmental organizations

Beneficiaries

• 30 members of the Romani ethnic group involved in waste collection
• 6 civil society organizations