GGP - Projects FY2012-2013
The Project for Improvement of Hygienic Environment in the municipality of Demir Kapija (65,684 euros)
The municipality of Demir Kapija is located about 112km south east of Skopje. The provincial city lies at the foot of a mountain and is home to a population of approximately 3,300 inhabitants.
The municipality is currently forced to operate its garbage collection in the city and surrounding villages using only one garbage truck. This truck is however not an actual truck for the purpose of garbage collection, but a custom car which was originally just a tractor equipped with a load-carrying tray. The tractor was produced in 1998, and its load capacity amounts to a mere for 3-4m³. Due to the vehicle’s considerable age, engine trouble occurs frequently. Thus, it takes at least five days to collect all the waste in the town and its vicinity, and until the next collection day, the garbage is left to pile up on the pick-up sites in town.
Furthermore, garbage bins and large waste containers are located only in the center of the town. Residents from more remote parts of the city and its surroundings are forced to leave the garbage on the street in front of their individual houses and public facilities until the next collection. The thus exposed waste gives off a foul smell and constitutes a sanitary hazard.
The purpose of this project is to grant financial assistance to provide for a modern garbage truck which can carry a garbage load of 8-9m³, so waste can be collected more effectively than with the existing vehicle. Furthermore, the government of Japan finances the cost of 15 large waste containers to be placed in surrounds villages outside of town which do not possess such containers, in order to improve the sanitary situation.