Albania
The Mediterranean is one of the mostn pollutedtoceans worldwide – there there is an urgent need for action, the flood of plastic ins Mediterranean Sea.
Albania
The Mediterranean is one of the mostn pollutedtoceans worldwide – there there is an urgent need for action, the flood of plastic ins Mediterranean Sea.
Overview
LOCATION
flow
Kind
Certification
active since
Kukës, Albania
Lake Fierza, Drin
River Cleanup with garbage collection boat
Ocean Bound Plastic Standard plannednt for H2/2025
Pilot project summer 2024, permanent location from March 2025
Location
The long-term cleanup site is located in the north of Albania, more precisely in Kukës. Here, the waste collection boat is in action at Lake Fierza on the Drin. The location was chosen specifically because Lake Fierza and the Drin are important sources of drinking water and energy in the country.
Furthermore, there is no functioning waste management system in many areas of Albania. This is serious, as the waste ends up in illegal landfills, in the environment or directly in rivers and waterways. This is also the case in the Drin – and the Drin flows into the Mediterranean, one of the most polluted seas in the world.
At the beginning of 2025, the publication of a research group once again pointed to an immediate need for action: the researchers found accumulations of plastic and waste at the deepest point of the Mediterranean, at a depth of over 5,000 meters. These findings show the urgency of protecting the Mediterranean.
Infrastructure
Before the permanent site was established, we started with a temporary pilot project in Albania. In collaboration with STADLER Anlagenbau, a special sorting container, SortX, was developed for this project. This is precisely tailored to the needs of a river cleanup – the collected waste can be separated into recyclable and non-recyclable waste within the container in order to prepare it for further processing.
Working locally in the sorting container means that there is no need for additional interim storage or transportation. In addition, the container is quickly ready for use and easy to transport. Its compact design makes it ideal for transport by sea – so it can also be used in remote areas.
From March 2025, we will have a permanent cleanup site in Albania and our waste collection boat on the Drin. In addition to the boat, we built a new zero-waste center directly at the site in Kuk ës. The fixed facility replaces the sorting container and the waste can be sorted here, pressed into bales and efficiently transported onwards.
This zero-waste center has a special significance for us: on the one hand, we were able to build the first ever waste compactor in Kukës and, secondly, the facility was given a beautiful new coat of paint thanks to a collaboration with mural artist Martin Hirner. The building is now not only a real eye-catcher, but the painting also describes very well how we work on site.
Waste composition and recycling
In Albania, one third of the waste consists of non-recyclable waste and two thirds of recyclable waste. The composition is therefore very different from the waste collected in the projects in South East Asia – much more material can be returned to the cycle.
The recyclable waste mainly consists of PET. This is pressed in the waste compactor at the Zero Waste Center and transported to recycling centers in Tirana.
Non-recyclable waste is currently disposed of at a local, secure landfill site. This does not meet the standard we are aiming for. But currently in Kukës and the surrounding area have no other option for disposal. As we are also dependent on the existing infrastructure in the respective country, we are reaching our limits here – but we are working hard to find a solution, hopefully soon.
Local partnerships and team on site
From September 2025, we are launching a project together with Reparell Innovation AB to recycle non-recyclable plastic. Reparell is a Swedish company that focuses on the production of industrial raw materials from degraded plastic.
The aim is to find a way of converting the non-recyclable plastic from the Drin into high-quality material for the textile industry. A complete recycling process is to be developed that is designed to convert the plastic waste into high-quality textile yarns and fabrics.
We also have a wonderful team on site in Albania. It currently consists of a project manager and two team members who steer the boat and collect the garbage from the lake and the Dirn.
