On October 14, 2019, the first workshops on waste disposal were held in Grohote Elementary School on Šolta, entitled “Responsible generation and handling of waste” and “Composting”, which are carried out as part of the “Eko zeko i otočić” project. The workshops are led by the Association for nature, environment and sustainable development Sunce.

At the end of October, workshops for the youngest will be held in elementary schools in Sućuraj, Hvar, Jelsa and Stari Grad on Hvar, and in elementary schools in Komiža and Vis on the island of Vis.

-Educations help in the development of cooperation among the youngest, encourage critical thinking, define the problem and help in finding and applying solutions. By participating in the program, teachers will get and develop ideas about the ways and possibilities of including the educational program in the curriculum of individual subjects – emphasized Margita Radman.

In the production process, harmful substances are often released into the soil, water and air. The rest of the products and their packaging are then discarded as waste, which generally ends up in piles mixed with various substances: from organic waste to recyclables. Due to contamination with toxic substances, inclusion in the circulation process becomes very slow, and often completely impossible. Nature, with its processes of decomposition and reconstruction, in that case cannot be renewed quickly, especially in relation to the speed with which people create waste. Natural resources are irreversibly depleted, and the mechanisms of their renewal are destroyed.

-Along with separation and recycling, which are the most important methods for reducing inorganic waste, we must not forget composting, which is considered the most environmentally friendly way of dealing with biowaste. By composting, we respect natural cycles and create valuable humus, while reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills – explains Radman.

Project Eko zeko i otočić

The goal of the “Eko zeko i otočić” project is to raise the level of awareness and knowledge among local residents and tourists about the importance of sustainable waste management and to encourage responsibility and active participation. Workshops for children of primary school age are only one of the measures aimed at encouraging citizens to prevent the generation of waste, as well as separating collected waste so that it can be reused, and encouraging recycling and composting.

The Municipality of Šolta in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy, the municipalities of Jelsa and Sućuraj and the cities of Hvar, Komiža, Stari Grad and Vis are responsible for implementing the project with a total value of HRK 532,072.87, of which the European Union co-finances the amount of HRK 452,261.93. The project follows the goals foreseen within the Operational Program “Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014-2020” related to environmental protection and sustainability of resources (Priority Axis 6). The managing body is the Ministry of Regional Development and Funds of the European Union, the Intermediate Body of Level I is the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy, and the Intermediate Body of Level II is the Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency.