3recyclinginternational.com | July/August | 2019
At the time of writing I am in the
Republic of Albania, south-east Europe.
Once a poor, isolated and claustropho-
bic country suffering from brutal dicta-
torship, Albania is now a great travel
destination. At least, if you love spectac-
ular mountain scenery and remote
beaches – and bumpy roads and crazy
drivers don’t bother you too much.
Albania’s car fleet is a tourist attraction
at itself, especially for fans of Mercedes-
Benz. Mercedes rules the Albanian
roads. Whether you’re on the streets of
the capital Tirana or touring the moun-
tain passes and highways of this coastal
nation of 3.5 million people, you spot
virtually every model of Mercedes pro-
duced since the 1970s. They outnumber
all other brands by as much as two to
one.
Since 1991, some 300 000 Mercedes
cars have been brought into the country,
legally and illegally. Albania is believed
to have the most Mercedes vehicles per
head of population.
The country’s former dictator Enver
Hoxha – who did not allow private car
ownership except for himself and his
clan and so there were only 500 cars in
the country – drove a luxury Mercedes-
Benz 600. As much as most Albanians
hated Hoxha, they love Mercedes,
which stands for strong and robust
engineering and the only vehicle to
resist the country’s poor road condi-
tions.
This adoration goes a long way. The
owner of a guesthouse told me about
her cousin who had just emigrated to
the US. The first thing he did was buy a
new car. Not a Chevrolet or Chrysler, no
Japanese or Korean brand for him. It
had to be …. a Mercedes-Benz.
Modern car recycling in Albania has only
just started. There are two shredders but
most end-of life vehicles end up at yards
scattered across the country for parts
reuse. Thousands of stripped car wrecks
are left behind in the open countryside.
The same applies to Albania’s concrete
bunkers littering the countryside and
mountain valleys. Hoxha had 175 000 of
these dome-shaped bunkers built. They
popped up in the cities and in the coun-
tryside, on the coast and in the moun-
tains and were intended to stop invad-
ers. Rather than relying on a professional
army, every Albanian would take up
arms and fortify in their nearest bunker
in the event of invasion, which of course
never happened.
The bunkers were abandoned following
the end of the communist state. Many
are now derelict and vandalised. But
some have found a second life as art
object, coffee outlet, bed & breakfast or
even a tattoo shop. Advantage out of
adversity.
Martijn Reintjes
Chief Editor, Recycling International
Recycling International
Informaticaweg 3
7007 CP Doetinchem
The Netherlands
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03_viewpoint.indd 3 08-08-19 10:59
