By Xhabir Deralla
Delivered at the Regional Conference “Give Me Five for a Better Future”, part of the Western Balkans Circular Economy Week 2025
Politicization, corruption, and mismanagement. Contradictions and inconsistencies. A low level of public awareness. Deep dependence on Western donors. These are some of the most visible challenges facing circular economy initiatives and broader green policies in the Western Balkans – mirroring the region’s even more serious and deeper structural problems.
What we are seeing is not new. It’s the continuation of alarming patterns, transferred from one generation to another, embedded in the political and institutional culture of our region.
Circular economy has become a buzzword, a trendy term, especially when politicians want to appeal to Western donors or younger voters. Suddenly, everyone speaks of sustainability, recycling, composting, green innovation. Then they move on.
In 2023, a high-ranking official in North Macedonia promised that 700,000 euros collected through plastic bag charges would be reinvested into waste separation and eco-friendly disposal. The promise, made publicly and in an interview with me, sounded sincere. But the system didn’t follow through. Nothing materialized. Just a well-worded promise, lost in a broken trail of funds.
This is not an exception. It’s a pattern.
Instead of real change, we are witnessing a green mirage—an opportunistic use of “green” language to mask political stagnation and corruption. Grants are pursued with polished presentations, photo ops of children planting trees, and carefully lit recycling bins staged for the cameras. Meanwhile, waste continues to pile up behind the lens.
Some politicians even speak of “Scandinavian standards,” a phrase that sharply contrasts with the reality documented in our independent reports—including a recent GreenCIVIL video that lays it bare in under two minutes. Watch it.
Even worse, parts of the Western Balkans are increasingly treated as dumping grounds. Waste imports are rising. The equation is simple: where oversight is weak and corruption is strong, foreign garbage finds a home.
And while I can’t name names without evidence, I have strong grounds to believe that some so-called “green” projects are little more than façades – designed to attract donor money, create the illusion of progress, and vanish once the closing event is over and the narrative and financial reports are submitted.
But there are still those who work with integrity and vision.
One of the strongest examples that I know about is the LogEx community, a network of civil society organizations from across the Western Balkans, initiated by the Kosovo-based think-tank The Balkan Forum. It unites professionals, activists, business leaders, academics, and innovators committed to circular economy solutions rooted in ethics, cooperation, and local relevance.
No big PR campaigns. No greenwashed press releases. Just hard work, smart systems, and ethics.
Around the region, other efforts persist. From small recycling startups to community composting, from artists who upcycle waste into public messages to farmers introducing low-waste models – these are the people trying to make circular economy real, not rhetorical.
Globally, countries like Finland and Japan show what it looks like when responsibility becomes culture. In Finland, repair cafés bring people together to fix instead of throw away. In Kamikatsu, Japan, over 80% of household waste is recycled—not because of laws alone, but because citizens believe it’s their duty.
Where do we go from here?
We can no longer stay polite. It’s time to name the problem, call out the abuse of green language, and demand an end to donor-driven illusions.
Environmental funds must be traceable. Results must be measurable. Citizens must be informed—and empowered to ask: Where did that money go?
And above all, we must invest in the people who already understand the stakes: the engineers, creatives, educators, and activists who know that the circular economy is not a dream. It’s our only option.
The circular economy is not a utopia. It is a survival plan. And for the Western Balkans, it is also a test of honesty, courage, and will. Will we continue to sell our green image for short-term political gain? Or will we finally start building a region where sustainability is not a slogan—but a standard?
Even under the harshest conditions—like the war in Ukraine—circular economy practices are proving essential. Despite massive destruction, Ukraine has advanced community-based recycling and waste management projects as tools of resilience and recovery. If circular thinking can survive under bombardment, there’s no excuse for inaction in times of peace.
The choice is ours. And the time is now.
Give Me Five for a Better Future! – Regional online conference of Green CIVIL
