Italian Technology for Waste Management in Gornji Milanovac – PUE First to Sell Compost in the Market

A new model of waste management based on sustainable development and circular economy will be realized in Gornji Milanovac through the cooperation of the local public utility enterprise with the public utility enterprises Novamont and Contarina from Italy.

This will enable Gornji Milanovac to implement the already world-successful model of waste management of the Italian companies in its own environment and become a good example for the whole Serbia, because the data say that three million tons of municipal waste are created in Serbia each year, and that 48.4% of that amount is organic waste.

– Waste processing “Italian style” will enable the PUE Gornji Milanovac to make and sell compost and thereby realize an additional profit – says Ivan Lazic, the director of the PUE, as announced by the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia (CCIS).

– The Italian model also provides solutions for biodegradable waste, so that it wouldn’t end up at landfills. Potential disasters due to the combustible biogas which is created at biowaste landfills are prevented, the life cycle of a sanitary landfill is extended, and, on the other hand, the compost made from biodegradable waste can be used for the feeding of flowers, trees and plants on public surfaces – Lazic says.

The local utility company, by the way, has been working since 2017 with the Municipality and the Office for Environmental Protection to promote waste separation into paper and cardboard, plastic and municipal waste.

Harmonization with EU regulations

With a better management model, waste becomes a new product – an organic fertilizer for improving the quality of water and soil and controlling the weed, pests and diseases.

The pressure on landfills and the costs of waste disposal are expected to reduce, a new source of income from the sale of the compost is expected, and there will also be more work and market for bag producers, points out Dragan Stevanovic, the secretary of the Association for Chemical, Rubber and Non-Metal Industries of the CCIS.

The cooperation with Novamont, a world leader in the production of compostable biodegradable plastic, has been established with this Association in order to provide its members with access to new technologies, raw materials and business models which contribute to the harmonization of the production with the EU regulations.

– We have provided the members with the technology transfer, training and test raw materials. Several of our producers have already started producing bags, granulated paints and other products made of compostable biodegradable plastic made by this producer – Stevanovic said.

The opening of Cluster 4 – Green Agenda and Sustainable Connecting, and with that four new negotiation chapters, has given a boost to Serbia when it comes to the accession to the European Union. The CCIS takes part in numerous projects in the domain of environmental protection and provides support to the economy in the process of adapting to the policy and goals of the EU in these fields.

Javno komunalno preduzeće Gornji Milanovac

Privredna komora Srbije

PUE Novamont

PUE Contarina

PUE Gornji Milanovac

Chamber of Commerce of Serbia

Ivan Lazić

Dragan Stevanović

organic waste

landfills

biodegradable plastic

Green Agenda