Silvia Minotti, the First Entrepreneur in Albania to Build a Business for Waste Collection and Recovery

“We were the first company in Albania to provide collection, transportation, and recovery services for business-generated waste.”

We meet Dr. Silvia Minotti, CEO of Green Recycling, a company established in 2013 that specializes in the collection, transportation, and recovery of non-hazardous waste, including paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), and used cooking oil.

Who Is Silvia Minotti and Why Did She Choose Albania?

I am a woman who loves learning new things, with my own vision of what I want to do and how I want to do it. I have an open mind and a healthy appetite for risk. I believe in dreams and work hard to turn them into reality through study, determination and—why not?—a touch of boldness and a free, creative spirit. I strongly believe in female entrepreneurship. In fact, I am convinced that women are exceptional and versatile managers. They possess the knowledge, perseverance and passion needed to excel in any field or industry. If we give women the opportunity to demonstrate their value, we will be amazed, genuinely pleased and deeply grateful for what they can achieve. I came to Albania from Washington. Let me explain. I first became acquainted with Albania while working as an official at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. My first mission to Tirana was in 2000, when I served as a Senior Financial Sector Specialist. My assignment was to introduce a bank deposit insurance scheme aligned with European standards and to strengthen the supervisory capacity of the Bank of Albania. That was when I “discovered” the Land of the Eagles, a country I knew little about despite the fact that it lies just across the Adriatic Sea from Cervia, the seaside town on the Romagna Riviera where I was born. Why did we choose Albania? Because it is culturally and geographically close to home, but above all because Albania has chosen a path of development rooted in the principles and values of our old—and still beautiful—Europe.

Can Green Recycling Be Considered a Pioneer in Albania in the Field of Waste Collection and Recovery?

Without a doubt—and I am proud of it. We were the first company in Albania to provide business waste collection, transportation and recovery services, operating professionally and in full compliance with the law. We started in 2013, at a time when the municipal waste bins in Tirana were still “guarded” by Roma collectors racing through the streets on heavily modified scooters to gather plastic bottles and aluminum cans. It was also a time when waste was commonly burned in the open, with columns of black smoke rising into the sky and the acrid, toxic smell of burning plastic spreading through the air amid general indifference. It was in this environment that we launched our company nearly ten years ago.

How difficult was it? Very difficult. At the time, both citizens and businesses had limited environmental awareness and education. Environmental laws and regulations largely existed only on paper, while public institutions were still in the early stages of development. There is no doubt that things have improved significantly in recent years. But there is also no doubt that much more remains to be done if Albania wants to move closer to Europe and become a country capable of guaranteeing its citizens a clean environment that is resilient to climate change.

What Materials Does Your Company Collect? Do You Operate Throughout Albania?

Our company operates from two facilities, one in Kamëz, near Tirana, and another in Fier in central Albania, allowing us to provide our services throughout the country.

We collect and prepare for recovery a wide range of non-hazardous waste materials, including paper and cardboard, plastic, glass, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), and used cooking oil. Once properly sorted and processed, these materials are sent for recovery so they can be reused as secondary raw materials in the production of new goods.

We export these materials to several European Union countries, including the Netherlands, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Greece, as well as to non-EU countries such as Serbia and North Macedonia.

We are internationally certified.

How Have Albanian Companies Responded to Your Services? Do You Also Work with Small Businesses?

Certainly, we were not welcomed with a red carpet. On the contrary, our start was very low-key. Many companies—our potential clients at the time—were not interested in being compliant with waste regulations or in separating their waste at the source. That said, it is also true that in every country in the world these obligations have often been perceived as an additional burden—something businesses try to avoid whenever possible. Albania was no exception, and in many ways it still is not.

Today, however, the situation has improved significantly. Albanian companies have come to understand the importance of relying on a professional waste management service that is punctual, reliable and fully compliant with the law.

I believe this reflects a natural evolution in behavior that is common to all countries and communities, even at the household level. No one particularly enjoys sorting waste. But once people understand why it matters, they do it—even if sometimes reluctantly. The same applies in Albania.

We work with any type of client, whether public or private, large or small: companies, institutions, offices and even individual households. In short, we work with anyone who is looking for a professional service delivered in full compliance with environmental regulations.

Does Green Recycling Also Work with Municipalities?

We have never taken part in public tenders for the collection of municipal waste generated by households. From the beginning, we chose to focus on the business segment—that is, waste produced by commercial, industrial and service companies—rather than on household waste.

Over the years, we have developed a broad range of services, including the collection of mixed residual waste and source-separated recyclable materials, the secure destruction of paper documents and digital media (such as computers and hard drives) containing sensitive data, the disposal of defective or expired products—including food products—as well as cellar clear-outs and relocation support services.

That said, we have always maintained strong relationships with public institutions, including municipalities. For example, in cooperation with EcoTirana, the municipal waste company of the Tirana, we recently launched an important initiative to collect used cooking oil generated by households. As is common across Europe, we have installed dedicated street containers in various areas of Tirana where residents can dispose of the oil produced when cooking and frying at home.

In Lushnjë, we are also running an environmental education program in local schools, and similar initiatives are underway in several other Albanian cities.

Do You Also Manufacture Recycled Products from the Materials You Collect?

No. There is no single company that can collect, transport, recover and recycle every type of waste material. Each company specializes in a specific part of the process.

The concepts of recovery and recycling are often confused, but they are not the same. Recovery involves preparing waste materials so they can be sent to authorized recycling facilities, while recycling is the industrial process that transforms those materials into new products or raw materials.

Our role is to collect the waste, sort and prepare it, and send it to licensed recovery and recycling centers.

For example, paper and cardboard are recycled in paper mills, glass is processed in glassworks, and used cooking oil is refined and converted into biodiesel.

 

Is the Environmental Impact of Your Work Measurable?

Yes. Recovering and recycling waste within a circular economy perspective means protecting our planet and increasing its resilience to climate change. We are fully aware of this responsibility, and we want all economic actors to be aware of it as well.

For this reason, every year we prepare a GREEN REPORT for each of our clients. This report measures the environmental impact achieved—expressed in terms of reduced CO₂ emissions, energy savings in kilowatt-hours, water savings in cubic meters, and landfill space saved—thanks to the separate collection and recovery of waste.

Is Yours a Fully Circular Company?

We are not yet a fully “circular” company, but we are a key player in enabling a circular economy.

We operate within a circular economy framework, working to transform collected waste into “secondary raw materials”—that is, new raw materials used for the production of new goods and manufactured products.

A more circular economy means a better future for our children. There is no future without a circular economy.