DEM Presents its Annual Awards
On the occasion of March 21, the Spring Day, the Ecologists’ Movement of Macedonia (DEM) presented its Annual Awards for 2005 and announced the start of the campaign for collection and recycling of plastic bottles and containers, organized under its activities to protect and conserve the environment.
According to Boban Bojkovski, DEM President, the campaign should answer two of the most important questions related to collection and recycling of plastic waste: What to do with the bottles, i.e. will the campaign come down to collecting the waste and just storing it at some other place? The second problem is presented by the sheer volumen of plastic waste, disproportionate to its mass. Bojkovski said that the campaign offers a new approach and system in the collection of plastic waste, adapted to local conditions and demands. Under the auspices of the campaign, partnership has been established with “EKO ERAS”, private company that collects and recycles plastic waste, which is later exported to Turkey to be used as raw material in the industry of poliestre fibers for the textile industry, as well as with “KARPOS”, company that will produce special containers for collection of plastic waste. The campaign is open for cooperation with other NGOs and the citizens, who could use it as source of self-sustainability or significant supplement to the family budget. “An average family that cooperates with “EKO ERAS” collects, if well organized, up to 35 tons of plastic bottles, and the company pays them 8 denars per kilogram of plastic. You can do the math and see what the family earns”, said Bojkovski for the media.
DEM also presented its Annual Certificates of Recognition and the “Green Apple” Award for 2005. Certificates of Recognition were presented to the Institute of Geography of the School of Natural Sciences in Skopje, for its continuing cooperation with DEM; Prof. Cane Stojkovski for his efforts and cooperation in the campains for public awareness on use of GMOs in Macedonia and the campaign to declare Veles a GMO Free Zone; “Vreme” Daily for its continuing coverage of DEM activities and objective reporting in the area of environmental protection; and Daniela Kanevce, Journalist with Macedonian Radio, for her continuing and regular reporting on DEM activities. The “Green Apple” Award for 2005 went to Larif Bejas, owner of “EKO ERAS” company, for his work in the field of recycling of plastic waste and blastic bottles. The “Rotten Apple” award, given for negative actions damaging to the environment, was not presented. According to Bojkovski, “...our public bodies and institutions don’t do anything in this area and – as we know – he who doesn’t work doesn’t make mistakes”. |



