Milica Boca from Herceg Novi, with her brother Dragisa and sister Bojana, organized a cleaning action at nine locations in Herceg Novi and its surroundings this winter.
With friends and anyone interested in making the city cleaner, they collected waste in Ratisevina, cleaned Mojdeš road, the beach and park under Tito's villa, the viewpoint on Podi, the road to Zvinjama and more.
It all began in February when Milica saw dumped plastic bags around the local road Suscepan - Ratisevina where she walked on her way to work. The three of them organized and purchased bags, gloves, dressed accordingly and started the action.
"We were surprised by the amount of garbage. Because of the overgrown vegetation we could not see the extent of the waste that had formed along the way for years. Most of it consisted of baby diapers, but also plastic furniture, car parts, tires, refrigerators," says Milica.
They were joined by other fellow citizens later on.
"One guy came by bike from Zelenika to clean the area around Suscepan," says Milica.
In a few days, they acquired a waste truck that the Workers of Cleaning Service drove to the dump.
"When this area was cleaned, somehow it forced us to clean up some of the other sites in our municipality, places where the workers from the Cleaning service “do not reach”. In addition to our friends, the following actions were attended by people of different ages and various professions, including the students of the Faculty of Management, senior members of the Dance Club “Diano”. We all share the same opinion that civic activism can contribute to better living conditions," says Milica, and points out that they are apolitical and do not want to be put on any "side".
They are not even discouraged that in some places they have cleaned, disrespectful citizens throw away garbage again.
"I do not think penalties would solve the problem of waste disposal. Raising ecological awareness, fostering civic activism and education, especially in schools and among young people, are a better way," says Milica.
She thinks that there is a general lack of civic initiatives and non-political actions.
An eternal lover of nature, optimist, Milica will soon organize the jubilee tenth action. During the summer she will take a break, and in the autumn she will again get engaged in cleaning the environment.
She is also convinced that with the actions, a circle of positive energy is being spread, and she is ready to "clean all of Montenegro".
Milica graduated at the Faculty of Management and works in the family firm “Sky Clock” as an assistant in the administration. She has a wide circle of interests, and the love for nature and the need to contribute to its preservation she inherited from her parents.
"I watched my mother always ready to clean the space around the house and take part in similar actions," points out Milica.
Text by Slavica Kosic, on May 2nd 2019, read more at Vijesti
