Public utility companies from the Ekopak system held their regular annual meeting on May 31, 2024, in the municipality of Prozor-Rama. The meeting was attended by public utility companies from Prozor, Bihać, Novi Travnik, Ključ, Gračanica, Kiseljak, Tomislavgrad, Travnik, Vitez, Ključ, Kreševo, and Sarajevo.

The attendees were welcomed by Mr. Emil Balavac, Minister of Trade, Tourism, and Environmental Protection of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, who praised the efforts of Ekopak and local utility companies, announcing additional investments in improving the waste management system. The meeting was officially opened by Josip Juričić, Deputy Mayor and Head of the Department for Development, Entrepreneurship, Craft, and Finance, emphasizing the importance of efficient packaging waste management for local governments. Although local communities have limited resources, significant progress has been made in Prozor, including investments in infrastructure and projects for managing packaging waste.

 

Ekopak Director Amela Hrbat presented the achievements of the utility companies Komrad Bihać, Komus Gračanica, Komunalac Kladanj, Rad Ključ, Bioštica Olovo, Vitkom Vitez, Vilenica Čistoća Novi Travnik, Bašbunar Travnik, Kostajnica Kreševo, Vodovod i kanalizacija Kiseljak, Rad Sarajevo, Standard Konjic, Tomislavgrad, Vodograd Prozor-Rama, highlighting their contributions to meeting Ekopak's prescribed targets for packaging waste utilization and recycling.

 

Examples of good practices were presented by JKP Vodograd Prozor-Rama, JKP Komus Gračanica, and JKP Standard Konjic, while JKP ViK Kiseljak presented plans for improving the collection of packaging waste from municipal waste.

 

The official part of the working meeting ended with the awarding of certificates of appreciation, which were handed over by the director of Ekopak, Amela Hrbat, to the public utility companies with whom Ekopak has been successfully operating for ten years. This was followed by a tour of the Eco Park in Prozor, where the gathered representatives had the opportunity to see the waste sorting facility and the composting plant, which further confirmed the efforts in achieving sustainable waste management.

 

This meeting highlights the importance of cooperation and exchange of experiences among public utility companies, and the role of the Ekopak system operator in developing recycling and packaging waste management systems in Bosnia and Herzegovina.