In the period from 6 to 8 December 2023, a study visit was held by representatives of the Municipality of Ivanjica and the Public Utility Company Ivanjica to the Municipality of Gusinje as part of the project “Clean Community for Sustainable environment and nature – CLEAN”. The purpose of this study visit was to familiarize with the way of waste management in Gusinje, where the municipality’s zero waste methodology is applied.
The Mayor of the Municipality of Gusinje, Mr. Sanel Balić, opened the working meeting on the first day of the visit, and then the basic principles of zero waste and prominent examples of good practice in this area were presented. The second day of the visit was dedicated to a detailed introduction to the work of PUC “Communal Services” Gusinje. Participants were familiarised with the way of applying the new waste management system in Gusinje according to the zero waste methodology with door-to-door waste collection in 5 fractions, the accompanying infrastructure and the situation of waste management in Montenegro. During the lecture, representatives of the Municipality of Gusinje and the Municipality of Ivanjica asked questions and exchanged knowledge on topics and specific problems in waste management.
Also, during the visit, the participants had the opportunity to visit PUC “Communal Services”, the Recycling Center (MRF) and the “JERINA” landfill, in order to get to know directly the processes of waste management in practice. The tourist center of the Prokletije National Park was also visited in order to familiarize the participants with the method of waste management within the park. After that, the participants visited the Prokletije NP area (Grebaje – Vusanje), gaining insight into the approach to nature conservation and waste management in this ecologically important area.
The delegation from Ivanjica had the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of zero waste methodology and to be inspired by examples of good practice in waste management in Gusinje Municipality and Prokletije National Park. This visit served as a step forward towards establishing a more sustainable and cleaner environment in local communities.
The CLEAN project is implemented by the municipalities of Gusinje and Ivanjica. The implementation of the project began on 24 December 2022 and will last for two years. The total value of the project is 389,635 euros, of which the contribution of the European Union is 330,800 euros.