“There is no clean Adriatic from the plastic waste without the Vjose River clean from these wastes”

The initiative “There is no clean Adriatic Sea without the Vjosa River cleared of this waste” aimed to engage communities, local institutions, young people, the private sector and environmental organizations in six municipalities through which the Vjosa River flows, against plastic pollution.

The first objective of the initiative was to form a coalition between the main local stakeholders: NGOs, public authorities, businesses, young people and the media. Positive methods were proposed to coalition stakeholders to improve the collection and processing of plastic and reduce its use. For example, a 2% reduction in the local tax was introduced for local businesses that have committed to achieving a “zero kilo” target for plastic waste lost in the environment.

The second objective was to enable young people in precarious situations to be paid for each kilo of plastic waste collected on the banks of the Vjosa River.

Main results of the project:

Organization of 17 workshops and riverbank clean-up days with students from 5 universities.
Working meetings with town halls and local businesses, resulting in:
A tax reduction for businesses committing to reduce the use of plastic packaging.
The recruitment, by the town halls, of unemployed people to collect plastic on the river banks.
The establishment of a monthly river clean-up day, monitored and promoted by the municipalities.
A major communication campaign in the local media to raise awareness of plastic pollution and encourage participation in the clean-up of the river banks.

Updated on 31/03/2025