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Montenegrin environmental group launches digital mapping tool to track illegal waste

WHY IT MATTERS

The project provides a localized data framework that links illegal dumping to specific service gaps. This allows activists to move beyond ad-hoc cleanups and pressure local authorities with evidence-based requests for necessary waste infrastructure.

What changed

Montenegro is working to align its environmental regulations with European Union standards as it targets 2028 for accession. While the country has closed over 100 illegal landfills in the past year, it still faces significant waste management challenges, including a recycling rate below 2 percent. To address these gaps, the local organization EkoGard has developed EkoMapa, a digital tool designed to systematically document illegal dumpsites and assess environmental risks settlement by settlement. By mapping these sites and identifying where waste collection services are absent, the group aims to provide local institutions with data-driven evidence to improve infrastructure. The initiative grew from the organization's previous community-based cleanup efforts and is supported by the Digital Spark grant scheme. EkoGard intends to use this data to facilitate more informed discussions with local waste management companies and authorities regarding service coverage and environmental policy.

THE LAST WORD

Editorial interpretation · AI-assisted

While digital mapping improves the visibility of waste management failures, the transition from data collection to actual infrastructure improvement remains dependent on the willingness of local institutions to act on the findings.

LINKED SOURCES

How people in Montenegro are making their country cleaner

Global Voices · Daria Dergacheva · Creative Commons Attribution 3.0; attribution, author and link required

AI-assisted summary · THELAST.NEWSRevision 11 linked source

THELAST.NEWS is published by Dmitry Yakushev, Cyprus. Briefs are prepared with the help of AI from linked sources and are not individually reviewed by a human editor unless marked otherwise.