On the occasion of 50 years since the establishment of the first purchase stations for secondary raw materials in the Belgrade municipality of Rakovica, company Miteco officially unveiled recycling complex which consists of a transfer station for industrial and hazardous waste, a new recycling plant and a plant for mobile remediation of PCB contaminated sites.
The value of the investment amounts to 2.3 million euros, the total area of recycling complex is 14,200 m2, the complex has a capacity of 10,000 tons of industrial and hazardous waste annually.
Miodrag Mitrović, president of Miteco stressed out that the construction of a recycling facility presents an example of successful privatization and brownfield investments, which in addition to reviving the old buildings include construction and rehabilitation of polluted soil.
“Today we are witnessing that the well-proven idea of reconstruction of Knezevac and the decision to keep the same activity during the privatization. We are facing new challenges that dictate immediate removal of historical pollution and one of the most dangerous chemicals – PCB – from the environment. Miteco company will in the future continue to invest in new equipment and technology for the decontamination of soil, and intensive work on the development of what is already the world’s standard, which is the use of waste as an energy source, and with the help of domestic and foreign experts“, Mitrović said.
The value of the investment amounts to 2.3 million euros, the total area of recycling complex is 14,200 m2, the complex has a capacity of 10,000 tons of industrial and hazardous waste annually.
As pointed out by State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Stana Božović, the ministry, in the previous year with more than 10 locations, where there are companies in the restructuring and bankruptcy, eliminate more than 2 000 tonnes of hazardous waste, and that this recycling complex greatly facilitate the efforts of the Government of the Republic of Serbia to the citizens of Serbia, provides a high standard of living.
“Today, at the locations where hazardous waste was removed, a new, modern factory is being constructed, and company Miteco actively participated and contributed to our efforts, and on this occasion demonstrated a high degree of professionalism and quality of services provided. This is a proof that Serbia has the knowledge, technologies and companies that can work difficult and complex tasks in this area, whether it be on the treatment, storage and export of hazardous waste”, said Božović.
Commissioning of the recycling facility in Rakovica enable the opening of 30 new jobs and contribute to the rapid development of Belgrade and Serbia, stated by Miroslav Miletic, Vice President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, this investment is of great importance especially the fact that it was carried out in a “year of entrepreneurship“.
“This is an important step towards raising the infrastructure for hazardous waste management and to raise the national capacities, which are also important and the obligations that the state takes in the process of European environmental integration. This investment is a good example of the private capital entering boldly into the field of public utilities and strengthen the quality and availability of services to the industry”, said Miletić.
Recycling complex will comply with national and European regulations, which will ensure integrated management of waste in a unique way. Secretariat for Environmental Protection has already created Local waste management plan for the entire territory of the City of Belgrade from 2011 to 2020.
“The realization of these plans waste will no longer be a problem rather than raw materials and, consequently, the degree of protection of the environment and human health will be raised to a higher level”, said Goran Trivan, Secretary for Environmental Protection of the City of Belgrade.