Bosnia and Herzegovina generates almost 1.1 million tons of waste every year, with each resident producing an average of around 330 kilograms of waste annually. Despite the growing volume of waste, recycling remains underdeveloped, leaving individuals and environmental organizations to lead initiatives aimed at promoting proper waste disposal and environmental awareness.
One such initiative has emerged in Bijeljina, where the announcement that all elementary school students in Republika Srpska will receive free new textbooks from September prompted a practical question: what should be done with the old ones?
The answer came from the public utility company AD “Komunalac” Bijeljina, which encourages citizens to bring old textbooks and other recyclable materials to its “green island” collection point instead of throwing them away.
“Our green island accepts books, notebooks, textbooks, old paper, newspapers, as well as single-use glass such as jars and bottles, metal cans, and plastic packaging for water and juices,” said Helena Stojić from AD “Komunalac” Bijeljina.
“It has become clear that many citizens are aware of the amount of waste we generate and recognize the opportunity to give it a second life through recycling,” she added.
Encouraged by the positive response from residents, the initiative has since expanded to include the collection of glass and metal cans. However, waste separation in Bosnia and Herzegovina still largely depends on occasional environmental campaigns rather than becoming a routine part of daily life.
According to the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the average resident produces more than 300 kilograms of waste each year. At the same time, the country continues to face major challenges in waste management, including an underdeveloped municipal waste collection system, an insufficient number of sanitary landfills, numerous illegal dumping sites, and large amounts of waste ending up in nature.
Many citizens acknowledge that recycling is not yet a common habit but believe there is significant room for improvement.
Environmental experts emphasize that meaningful change begins at home, even before broader infrastructure is put in place.
“In principle, every household can separate recyclable waste and identify places where it can be handed over for recycling,” said Snežana Jagodić Vujić from the environmental association Eko put in Bijeljina.
“The biggest problem is that many people still throw away recyclable materials without thinking. After drinking from a can or using plastic packaging, they simply discard it instead of separating it for recycling,” she explained.
Although Bosnia and Herzegovina’s recycling system still has a long way to go, environmental advocates stress that responsibility for waste management cannot be postponed. They agree that the first and most important step toward a cleaner environment starts with each individual and every household.
