Only 3,000 euros and just one employee – that’s all Dugagjin Berisha, the founder of Glass recycling in Kosovo, had done so when he decided to create his startup in 2019. In less than two years, the entrepreneur was able to develop a successful business, transforming tons of glass waste into exportable quality consumer products. So how did he do it?
Berisha, a builder by profession, says he was motivated by his great desire to preserve the environment and the beauties of nature in a country without a functional waste management system, where waste usually ends up in landfills, for the most illegal. The beginnings were difficult, but he later gained great support from the residents of Gjakova, a town in western Kosovo where his company is based, other businesses and local authorities. Today, it has several employees, a small glass waste depot, an ambitious strategy and big plans for the future.
“We recover all types of glass, bottles, jars, industrial glass or window panes. We have now started producing tables, tiles, sand for filtering swimming pool water, sand for facades, etc. “, Berisha told Trending Topics SEE.
Balkan ingenuity: glass processing with a stone grinder
To start his operations, Berisha needed machinery and had a brilliant idea: he could use stone crushing equipment to process glass. So he bought a machine from a local guy, Fili Gjini, from Doblibare village, and collected it from there.
The relatively inexpensive and decidedly original solution allowed Berisha to manufacture its products at very competitive prices. Its tables cost 50 euros compared to 80 euros for similar imported products. “Sand for filtering swimming pool water: 1.4 euros per kilo imported, I sell it for 0.8 euros per kilo,” Berisha explained.
Find a solution to an urgent problem
According to Berisha, environmental pollution remains a problem in Kosovo because waste management policies are not at the right level. As a result, there are nearly 2,600 illegal dumpsites in the country, according to the Municipal waste management in Kosovo, published in 2019 by the Environmental Protection Agency. Of the total 506,000 tonnes of waste collected annually throughout Kosovo, around 5% is classified as glass waste. The companies alone produce 25,000 tonnes of glass bottles per year.
This glass that ends up in Kosovo landfills causes serious damage to the environment and fills landfills faster.
Benefits of Glass Recycling
Glass is one of the few precious materials that retains its natural qualities no matter how many times it is recycled and reprocessed. Its recycling therefore contributes to saving energy, creating jobs and protecting the environment. For every ton of glass waste melted in a furnace, 1.2 tons of raw materials are saved.
From a business perspective, the glass recycling process also reduces overall production costs due to the minimal amount of raw materials consumed, decreased energy demand, and increased lifespan of furnaces and equipment. Finally, the glass recycling process is based on a “closed loop” system, in which no waste or by-products are produced.
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Expansion plans
Kosovo Glass Recycling started in Kosovo, but its operations now extend to Albania and Montenegro, where the startup offers its recycled glass products.
“My goal is to create a company that recycles glass throughout Kosovo because we reduce the amount of waste and create new jobs. And we aim to create a partnership with EU companies that would come to Kosovo and cooperate with us to produce bottles or thermal insulators from recycled glass,” said Berisha, who lived in Switzerland for a long time, where he was inspired and learned how glass should be recycled and what it takes to build a sustainable business.
“If we manage to have more advanced technology, we intend to also export glass sand to the EU,” Berisha said, emphasizing that he had so far only received support belongs to nobody. “We are trying to create a sustainable business ourselves.”
