The textile industry with about 35,000 employees and more than 600 million Euros of annual exports is one of the leading industries in the Republic of North Macedonia, which produces about 700 tons of waste per year. The Municipality of Štip, with about 80 textile companies is a municipality with the most developed textile industry in the country, which creates the largest amount of unresolved textile waste.
This waste represents a huge potential as a cheap raw material for the production of new materials with added value. In addition, there is no information on textile waste generated by households (worn clothes), which is also a serious problem that pollutes the environment. The selection of waste is still in its infancy in the Municipality of Štip and the creation of habits for selection is a precondition for successful management of the waste in general.
Within the 3R project (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), the Foundation for development of the local community Štip conducted research of the situation with the textile waste in the Municipality of Štip. The analysis of the situation with the textile waste is a sublimate of the situation in the field, how in practice the local and national authorities treat the problem with the textile waste, and give a brief overview of the possibilities for reuse and shared positive stories from different parts of the country and the region. The document also contains a summary of the legislation on waste with recommendations to all stakeholders in this area, to address the problem of textile waste in the municipality.
The Research is available at the following link.
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2 June 2022