The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is considering introducing a deposit and return system on glass bottles, according to reports.
A new law on packaging and waste packaging came into force in FYROM on 1st January 2011. In order to reach the glass targets, one option would be to introduce a deposit system, said Aleksandar Tikveshanski, Business Development Officer at USAID Plastic Recycling Project.
“Glass is a specific topic in our country,” he said. “We currently have no producers and all the glass we use is imported.”
Mr Tikveshanski confirmed that there is currently an initiative to begin glass production in the country, adding that it will take some time. “All the glass collected is exported to neighbouring countries where a recycling system is already in place,” he said. However, this is likely to change, he says, as soon as FYROM produces its own glass and sets up a separate waste collection and recycling system.
Various EU organisations, such as the European Organisation for Packaging and the Environment (EUROPEN), Beverage Can Makers Europe (BCME) and the umbrella organisation for ‘green dot’ schemes, Pro Europe, oppose deposit schemes such as that of Germany, claiming that they are costly and burdensome. Instead, they favour green dot schemes for bottle collections.
