What is recycling, what are its benefits, and how anyone, even children, can protect nature by throwing waste in the right place, were the topics of the workshop organised by the EU Info Centre in collaboration with the company “Cistoca.“ As part of the campaign “Set an example. Join in!” students from Podgorica’s elementary schools – “Sutjeska” and “Dr. Dragisa Ivanovic” – had the opportunity to learn how to separate wet and dry waste, where paper, plastic, and glass should be disposed of , as well as what happens to that waste later on. Maja, Dragana, and Senada from “Cistoca“ were lecturers during the workshop.
“Today I learned that potato peels and other vegetables are considered as wet waste, for which there are special containers. I probably only know about ten people who recycle, young and old combined. From today, I will start to recycle, too,” said Miljana, a student from the “Dr. Dragisa Ivanovic” elementary school, after the workshop.
Natalija from the “Sutjeska” elementary school said that she has also learned about recycling before.
“We studied this in school, but today I learned a lot, for instance – that the yellow container is for plastic. ”
The surprise guest at the workshop was the handball player, Milena Raicevic, who is also the official face of the campaign. Milena explained that she started recycling while living abroad, and that she kept the habit after returning to Montenegro.
“I spent some time in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. We had to recycle there, and I learned so much about it. My husband and I have continued this habit here, and I’m really happy to be a part of this campaign, because as a celebrity I can help and influence people’s awareness,” explained Milena.
The children asked Milena what to do with the waste if they didn’t have a garbage can nearby at that moment, as well as what was the cleanest land in the world.
“Thanks to my job, I have traveled to many countries, but I can proudly say that Montenegro is one of the most beautiful. It would be nice to stay that way. That is why we need to throw the waste in the right place and recycle it since that is how we will conserve nature, the air, the earth, the water, all of which are essential to our lives. If at the momemnt you have no place to throw a chocolate wrap or a bag of chips, you can put them in your pocket and later throw them in the trash bin,” was Milena’s answer to the children’s question.
“Set an example. Join in!” aims to highlight the need for environmental protection and to engage citizens in green lifestyles.
“We want to show that each of us can set an example and contribute to protecting the environment by using reusable bags instead of plastic bags, cycling or walking to work instead of using the car, or by spending a free Saturday afternoon cleaning our environment,” advised the EU Info Centre team.
The campaign is organised in cooperation with numerous partners, one of them being the company “Cistoca.” The PR Senada Mulešković explained that they are organising a number of activities to develop the environmental awareness of citizens, with priority being given to the youngest generations.
“What makes us happy is that the youngest are adopting novelties and rules very quickly, they know a lot about recycling, about the proper disposal of waste. It pleases us because it shows that a lot is being done in schools when it comes to this topic, and we hope that the problems we face today will not be a topic in the future,” Senada concluded.