what is happening regarding environment
here in Republic of North Macedonia. 

Republic of North Macedonia is among the most polluted
countries in the world. This is shown by several international
organizations that provide regular and relevant data for PM 10 and PM 25
particles. Air pollution is a continuous problem, and in cities such as
Skopje, Bitola, Strumica and Tetovo, the limits for PM10 in the winter
period exceed 5, 10 and sometimes 20 times the permitted limits regulated
by the EU. Residents in these urban areas are forced to walk with
protective masks, while decision makers for 2019 set a special fund of only
1.5m euros to handle this huge national problem.
 
The sources of air pollution are many: households for which there is no
wider strategy for replacing the way of heating with fossil fuels; an
industry without a functional control mechanism for "A" and "B" pollutants
and without a national central accredited laboratory; undeveloped transport
models with thousands of vehicles that come as "used garbage" from EU
countries; massive deforestation - a report by Global Forest Watch showed
that over 35,000 hectares of forest were lost in Northern Macedonia in the
last 17 years due to illegal and excessive logging, which for small
countries are large numbers; violent urbanization - a result of continuous
business deals between authorities and construction companies, without
wider strategies sustainable settlements, traffic needs, infrastructure,
etc.
 
Waste is a special problem in the country. According to experts, 99% of the
waste in Northern Macedonia is not treated, but is deposited. In 2016,
796,585 tonnes of communal waste were generated, ie 376 kg per inhabitant,
but if the figure was compared to the amount of collected waste, which
amounts to about 610,000 tons, more than 186,000 tonnes remain, which end
up being thrown into nature, rivers, or is burnt in hundreds of illegal
dumpsites. "Drisla" is the one and only standardized landfill in the
country, for which has no investments for years. For example, it is the
only landfill for incineration of medical waste, and works with
mechanization for destroying such waste that would be illegal in Britain.