The City Administration of Novi Pazar and the Public Utility Company (JKP) “Gradska čistoća” recognized the need for an urgent response to the problem of the accumulation of textile waste and launched an initiative for its collection from local textile producers, as well as transport, storage and further distribution, announced the Program for United Nations Development (UNDP).
They were supported in this by the Global Environmental Fund (GEF), which donated part of the funds for the purchase of a specialized vehicle for the collection of textile waste, while the rest was provided by the City of Novi Pazar, it was stated in the announcement.
Director of PUC “City Cleanliness” Faruk Suljević pointed out that the most important thing is primary separation, i.e. separation at the very place of waste generation.
“Textile waste is collected from manufacturers and temporarily stored in the Recycling Center, after which it is given to an operator who makes other products from it for the furniture industry. In this way, in addition to reducing environmental pollution and helping textile manufacturers to get rid of waste, we contribute to the return of a product that no longer has its purpose back into economic flows. In other words, this is a good example of circular economy,” said Suljević.
It was emphasized that part of the textile waste that was previously taken to an unsanitary landfill or ended up in individual incinerators is disposed of in this way.
Only in the first month of the implementation of the project, 10 tons of textile waste were collected and reused in Novi Pazar.
Mirsad Ikić, co-owner of the company “His-Exact”, a company that has been engaged in the production of denim since 1988, testifies to the scale of the problem that existed.
“During the production process, we had about 20 percent of waste material left for each pattern. If I tell you that we have been producing textiles for more than 30 years, it is clear to you that we are talking about a significant amount of waste that has been accumulating,” he said.
The company “Mizan Line” praised the initiative for the efficiency of waste collection.
We can call the Recycling Center to come at any time so that our waste no longer piles up, which allows us to freely use the work space, said representative of “Mizan Lajna” Edin Totić.
In addition to reducing environmental pollution, the initiative will contribute to social inclusion and economic empowerment of the local population, in accordance with the Sustainable Development Strategy of the City of Novi Pazar, given that the Recycling Center employs people from vulnerable categories of the population, the announcement stated.
It is expected that textile waste in this area will become a valuable raw material and bring economic profit to local businessmen, and provide better working and living conditions to vulnerable groups of the population.
The solution “Primary recycling of textile waste that contributes to solving the problem of depositing textile waste” is supported in the framework of the project “Reducing the carbon footprint of local communities by applying the principles of circular economy in the Republic of Serbia – Circular Communities”, which is implemented by UNDP, in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and with the financial support of GEF.
It is reminded that the textile industry is one of the biggest polluters of the environment, and this negative impact is a consequence of the large consumption of energy, water and chemicals in production, the increasing accumulation of textile waste caused by fast fashion, while a large amount of microplastic ends up in the seas and oceans when clothes are washed.
It was pointed out that the seriousness of the situation is indicated by the fact that the production of one cotton shirt requires 2,700 liters of fresh water, which is equal to the amount of water that meets the drinking needs of one person for 2.5 years.
In order to solve this major problem on a global level, it is proposed to develop new business models for renting clothes, designing products in a way that would facilitate their reuse and recycling, encouraging consumers to buy better quality clothes that last longer and generally directing consumers towards more sustainable options .
In Serbia, the textile industry has played a significant role in economic development for centuries, and one of the most famous textile centers is Novi Pazar, which today has around 80 registered manufacturers.
At the same time, the title of the largest textile center is accompanied by the fact that around 60 tons of textile waste is produced annually in this city, which leads to a great deal of air pollution.
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Source: www.e2.rs
