USAID Plastic Recycling III Project
Start date: October 2010
End date: January 2012
Project budget (Life of Project) $ 150,000
Objectives
Increase the capacity of informal Roma collectors to integrate into formal waste management systems. Increase the collection of plastic waste through municipal primary waste selection systems.
Components
Integration of informal waste collectors into the formal waste management system: Focus on informal collectors, small collection yards, and other key actors at the bottom of the recycling supply chain, who currently operate outside the formal waste management system. The project will provide training, capacity building, coaching and technical support to help them formalize their activities. Approximately $20,000 will be used for purchasing bicycle carts and other needed equipment for selected informal collectors who participate actively in the training program and are serious about formalizing their economic activities.
Strengthening local capacities for establishment of the Municipal Plastic Collection Program: Facilitate transfer of knowledge and experience from the municipalities that successfully implemented a system for primary selection of waste to those that experience difficulties or have not introduced such a system. The project will identify the common obstacles municipalities face, develop a mentoring program to overcome them, and implement a monitoring and evaluation system. Also a small-scale public awareness campaign will be conducted in 15 municipalities.
Expected Results/Impact
- At least 500 persons engaged in the lower part of the plastic recycling supply chain improve their general business and financial knowledge, as well as social, institutional, and organizational aspects of the recycling business.
- At least 100 informal collectors improve their efficiency and/or earnings due to access to better equipment.
- At least 10% of the participants in the training and grant programs formalize their operations.
- Twelve municipalities enhance their municipal PET collection system through the mentorship program and double the annually collected amount of plastic waste.
- A Monitoring and evaluation system for municipal plastic waste collection set in place.
- Increased public awareness on recycling and plastic waste collection in 15 municipalities.
This project builds on the previous Plastic Recycling Project (2005-2009) which accomplished the following:
- Two large recycling companies operate in Macedonia, processing over 500 tons per month of plastic into PET flakes. They are foreign investments that employ over 100 people.
- The PET bottle recovery and recycling rate increased to 42% (almost twice the EU target of 22.5%). The quantity collected doubled from 3000 tons in 2007 to 6000 tons in 2008.
- The number of people engaged in the recycling industry has increased to 5000, the majority of whom are from marginalized groups and are informally engaged in the collection process.
- Municipal collection schemes are implemented in 24 municipalities. At least five significantly expanded the primary waste selection scheme by investing in additional collection infrastructure (460 new containers) worth over $580,000.
- • USAID helped the Government of Macedonia develop a Law on Packaging Waste that was adopted by the Parliament in December 2009. When implemented, this Law will facilitate additional private sector funding for the recycling activities in Macedonia and reduce their vulnerability to the market fluctuations.
Contact Information
Contact at USAID: Tanja Markovska tmarkovska@usaid.gov
Chief of Party: Arijan Toska arijan.toska@plasticrecycling.org.mk
Website: www.plasticrecycling.org.mk