World Cleanup Day, celebrated on September 20, is an opportunity to ask ourselves: “Where does our glass end up?” While glass collection and recycling systems are common practice worldwide, in Serbia a system for collecting glass packaging has only recently been established. Glass that remains outside this system ends up in landfills or in nature, where it can persist for thousands of years.

In order to raise awareness about environmental protection challenges, twelve civil society organizations supported through the EKO-SISTEM program joined the campaign “Transparent: Don’t Buy – Create!”, launched by Mladi istraživači Srbije with the support of Sweden.

At various locations across Serbia (Kraljevo, Kragujevac, Pirot, Užice, Bor, Požega, Novi Sad, Valjevo, Vrnjci, Milutovac), more than 400 primary and secondary school students participated in creative upcycling workshops and educational activities dedicated to responsible waste management. One of the key goals of the workshops was to present waste glass as a source of inspiration and a valuable resource that, through recycling or upcycling, can gain a new life and become useful or decorative items such as lamps, mosaics, pencil holders, or decorative vases.

In addition to the creative workshops, a waste collection action was organized. As the Sjenica area has faced significant challenges with the local landfill in recent weeks, a cleanup action was held with the participation of more than 40 high school students. Through this initiative, young people aimed to draw attention to local environmental issues and raise awareness among fellow citizens.

Each workshop concluded with the activity “Messages in a Jar,” through which the youngest participants sent messages to themselves, to adults, to nature, and to the planet about how they envision a more responsible and sustainable future. This symbolic action demonstrated that even small gestures can carry a powerful message—and that each of us can contribute to a more responsible and sustainable world.

The following organizations took part in implementing the workshops: Dobrovoljno vatrogasno društvo Kraljevo, Društvo mladih istraživača Bor, Forum civilne akcije Forca iz Požege, Dečija ekološka akademija iz Novog Sada, Društvo Stara planina iz Pirota, Ekološki pokret Moravski Orašak iz Trstenika, Omladinski centar Vrnjačka banja, Eco Infinity iz Sjenice, Nacionalni savez vlasnika šuma DENDROSRBIJA, Irevolucija iz Valjeva, Ekomar iz Kragujevca, IDA–Asocijacija za razvoj Ibarske doline iz Kraljeva.