A new waste collection system has been set up in the Vaďovce municipality, in Slovakia’s Trenčín region, improving housing conditions and the quality of life of all village inhabitants, including 96 Romani.
- 23 July 2020
This project has built a system of collection and removal of municipal waste, which has improved living conditions in Vaďovce, including for the 96 members of the Roma community. The project has also promoted social inclusion, with an emphasis on desegregation, deghettoization and destigmatisation.
With the help of EU funds, the municipality constructed a new waste collection yard, several smaller waste collection stands and acquired machinery and equipment to transport, sort and process the waste.
One yard, four stands and a shredder
The 530 m2 collection yard is easily accessible from a local road leading to town. It is fenced off and gated. A part of the area has been paved and covered with a roof. This area is reserved for waste collection and separation. It houses two large-capacity containers with a volume of 7 m3 each. A municipality employee works on the premises.
Four waste collection points were built in the village, to prevent illegal dumping. Each stand is paved, fenced off on three sides and has four wheeled containers with a capacity of 1 100 litres each for mixed municipal waste.
A tractor with a mounted shredder was acquired to process biodegradable waste generated in the area. The machine is particularly useful in spring and autumn, when gardens are being cleaned and the village’s greenery is maintained. The tractor takes biodegradable waste to the waste collection yard, where it is shredded.
Improving social coexistence
The new waste management system has improved living conditions of all the town’s residents and the social coexistence of the population and 96 members of the more segregated Roma community.
Until recently, the Romani suffered considerably from the absence of waste collection and removal system and lacked the means and resources to dispose of waste themselves. Not only does loose waste often cause unpleasant smells, it can also be toxic and harmful for the environment and human health.
This project has contributed to the desegregation, destigmatisation and deghettoisation of the Romani living in Vaďovce.
Over 9 % of the Slovak Republic’s population is Romani. The Slovak Ministry of Interior is spearheading a nationwide initiative to improve social inclusion of the often discriminated against and segregated Roma communities, by improving their overall quality of life.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Waste collection yard in Vaďovce” is EUR 123 889, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 105 306 through the “Human Resources” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Technical facilities in municipalities with high share of marginalised Roma communities”.