Exchange of experiences and challenges from the implementation of the Laws of special flows and waste management, as well as the Law on Extended Producer Responsibility, is the main topic of the workshop organized by the Association for specific waste stream management at the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, held yesterday and today in Strumica.
“I believe that through the establishment of good and open communication, exchange of experiences and challenges faced by all actors in the waste management process in the implementation of the laws in the area and the extended producer responsibility, we will help each other in a more successful implementation of the laws and fulfilling the national goals for waste collection”, emphasized the Minister of Environment and Physical Planning Kaja Shukova, in her opening speech. She emphasized that the Ministry has sustained plans and policies supported by a strong set of environmental regulations that provide for taking action at every stage of production and consumption, but a strong responsibility of both producers and consumers is needed, a change in the overall concept and approach in the area where we will talk about resource management, not waste or garbage, but also harmonizing and providing conditions for each and the smallest municipality for the selection, collection, and recycling of waste.
Filip Ivanov, president of the Association, also addressed the event and emphasized that such cooperation and coordination between the various actors in the waste management system is very important. Everyone should be responsible in carrying out their obligations, both producers and consumers, if we want to deal with waste. According to data from over 70,000 registered companies, only 1,600 pay compensation for the waste they create during the production of the products they place on the market. A joint and coordinated work of the Ministry, the inspection services, the Customs Administration, and the Public Revenue Office has been agreed upon in order to overcome the anomalies in the functioning of the system in which, if everyone fulfills their obligation, the development of market conditions for work will be encouraged, from which we will all benefit and of course we will have a clean environment.
The event was attended by the business entities from the activity, the competent government institutions for the establishment of legislation, the inspection services that have the obligation to monitor the application of the regulation, and the local governments that are obliged to implement it. The organizer of the workshop is the Association for specific waste stream management at the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia.