Podgorica municipal waste company Deponija is preparing to export approximately 2,000 tonnes of processed waste tyres to Turkey, as it explores commercial opportunities for recycled materials and considers further investment in processing capacity. The company has collected around 3,000 tonnes of discarded tyres from municipalities across Montenegro. The planned shipment is expected to be transported through the Port of Bar, linking domestic waste processing with an export market. The export sale has not yet been confirmed as completed.
Deponija previously obtained an €880,000 loan to purchase equipment capable of processing approximately 5–10 tonnes of waste tyres per hour. Its current operations primarily involve shredding tyres into material suitable for use as alternative fuel in industrial applications. The company is now considering additional equipment to produce rubber granulate, which would enable it to process waste tyres into a higher-value secondary raw material. Establishing the more comprehensive processing system would require an investment of more than €2 million. Producing rubber granulate would allow Deponija to target a broader range of industrial applications instead of depending mainly on lower-value fuel uses. Potential applications for the processed material include construction, sports surfaces and other industrial uses.
Waste tyre collection and treatment have presented environmental challenges in Montenegro, where improperly stored tyres can create pollution and fire risks. Establishing commercial outlets for processed tyres could provide municipal waste operators with an economic incentive to improve systematic collection and treatment. The planned export would create a potential industrial outlet for material that has largely represented an environmental liability. It would also introduce a logistics component to Montenegro’s developing circular-economy sector through the use of the Port of Bar for shipments to Turkey.
Deponija’s proposed investment in granulation equipment would expand the domestic processing chain beyond shredding and alternative-fuel production. The planned shipment of around 2,000 tonnes is an initial step in testing the commercial potential of exporting processed waste tyres.
