In recognition of our Hi-Visibility Recycling Scheme in Moldova, EASST and Kier Group are very proud to have won a Green World Award, which comes in lieu of being honoured as International Green World Ambassadors earlier this year. Jamie Edmonds from Kier Group collected the award in a special ceremony in Seoul, South Korea in October.
In rural regions of Moldova where there is no street lighting and vehicles, animals and people all share the road, the risk of road crashes is particularly high. Facilitated by EASST and the Automobile Club of Moldova (ACM), the project began in 2014 after a consultation with local villages through which a need for help with equipment to improve the visibility of agricultural vehicles on the roads was identified – particularly at night and during the winter months. Since 2015, Kier have donated thousands of all-weather high visibility items to local villages improve farmers’ safety on the roads.
For Kier, these donations of high-vis clothing have significantly reduced the quantity of good-quality, useable equipment going into landfill sites in the UK. The high-visibility clothes are being distributed as part of a US Embassy-aided project supporting community policing.
Upon winning the Green Apple award in August the judges commented:
“Recycling opportunities can pop up in the least expected locations. When Kier learnt that a roads and infrastructure project in Moldova was putting residents at risk from road traffic accidents they used this as an avenue to recycle more than 5000 items of high visibility clothing. Benefits to both parties are obvious but the scheme has been expanded to include other items such as child car seats and is being treated as a springboard to expand on.”
