Come and Recycle! – Collecting waste at Ružín and creating bins for organizations

Come and Recycle! - Collecting waste at Ružín and subsequently creating bins for organizations

We grew fond of collecting waste. After the successful Earth Day campaign, we decided to organize another waste collection. This time, it was without restrictions, or rather, as the current situation allowed.

Together with volunteers, we cleaned up part of the area around the Ružín reservoir. First, we traveled by train to the destination station, and from there, we walked towards Malá Lodina. Along the way, we found one smaller illegal dump, from which we collected waste, and then we continued to another. While walking, we admired the beautiful nature around us and noticed that many illegal dumps from the past had already been cleaned up. We can thank several non-profit organizations and civic associations for this, which, with the help of the government, IUVENTA, and the European Solidarity Corps, did a great job.

It was worse in the village of Malá Lodina. We wanted to get to know it a bit more, so we went for a short walk around the village until we discovered an illegal dump. It was a steep hill near the road that ended in the river. From the things that were there, one could easily furnish a bathroom, and even car mechanics would not be left empty-handed. Probably, one car could be assembled from so much waste. The saddest thing was that there was a barbed wire fence with a sign - No Waste Disposal. We didn't hesitate for a minute and started cleaning despite the risk of injury. That was our common decision. The planet comes first, after all.

After a while of cleaning, an elderly gentleman walked towards us. At first, it looked like he was going to chase us away. We were, after all, a few tens of meters from family houses; it could have been his property. But the opposite was true. The gentleman was very pleased that we had come there. He praised us for deciding to clean up the environment from waste. He himself told us a story of how they have had a problem with rubbish in that place for years. It is dangerous for several reasons. In addition to soil contamination and the nearby stream or wells, much of the primarily construction waste was located above a 22kV electric current, which provides electricity to the village. He told us that he has been fighting against that waste for years and despite his efforts, not much has changed. He revealed to us that he also wrote the aforementioned sign. It was clear that this situation bothered him greatly, and we didn't blame him. A few tens of meters from family houses, including his, there is such a type of dangerous dump.

Unfortunately, we were unable to completely clean up this dump. To clean it, we would need a Tatra truck and perhaps even a small excavator.

We are also spreading the story of the illegal dump almost in the middle of the village because of the will of the elderly gentleman who asked us to. We do not know his name, but we thank him for sharing his story with us.

After collecting waste and a quick lunch break, we went to the office of the Youth Council of the Košice Region. With the help of scissors, glue, and adhesive tape, we created several bins from used cardboard boxes and older magazines, which will be used for municipal waste, glass, and plastics. We also donated these bins to other organizations in the Košice Region. It was a pleasant and simple manual work that anyone can do. We are glad that our bins serve their intended purpose and that thanks to them, no more illegal dumps will be created, which will ultimately harm the planet and make life unpleasant for local residents.

With this, we would like to thank the partners of this meeting once again:

Youth Council of the Košice Region.

The training is supported by the European Solidarity Corps program, administered by IUVENTA - Slovak Youth Institute.