A-SMYLE Alumni Spearhead Recyleton 2010 in Leskovac

On Sunday, April 18, RECYLETON 2010 kicked off in Leskovac, in southern Serbia. The event was organized by A-SMYLE alumna Ana Jovanovic '07, and Nikola Jovanovic, '09. A group of about fifty volunteers - including both A-SMYLE alumni from all over Serbia as well as local volunteers and two A-SMYLE finalists - converged in downtown Leskovac to collect electronic waste for recycling. The volunteers eventually collected 3,000kg of electronic waste - more than anyone, including the recycling center, anticipated.

In the weeks of preparation, RECYCLETON organizers coordinated friends and peers to help collect the waste. They also advertised with posters and on the radio the locations where citizens of Leskovac could bring their recycling. During the action, volunteers canvassed the town, encouraging people to bring their waste to the drop-off site. At the site, volunteers spoke to passers-by and danced to music to attract attention to the action. By noon, only two hours into the event, the van sent by the recycling center was already half full, and the inflow was still strong.

RECYCLETON Leskovac is the first in a marathon of recycling actions all across Serbia organized by Think Big Team, an organization of A-SMYLE and other State Department program alumni. Think Big Team is partnering with the BIS Recycling center in Pancevo, which has agreed to recycle all waste, collected at no charge. Funding for RECYCLETON comes from the American Embassy in Belgrade, with additional support from American Councils for International Education. U.S. Embassy representatives Conrad Turner and Vukica Stankovic also attended the event.

Selected Press Coverage:

http://www.personalmag.rs/it/ekologija/recycleton-maraton-uspesno-startovao-u-leskovcu/
http://www.extra-zabava.com/srbija/recycleton-2010-leskovac
http://www.personalmag.rs/it/ekologija/akcijom-recyclaton-do-maratonskog-recikliranja-elektronskog-otpada/
http://www.economy.rs/planeta/5864/nauka-kompanije/Akcijom-a--Recyclatona---do-maratonskog-recikliranja-elektronskog-otpada.html