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Year after year during the winter months, this lake near the southwestern Serbian town of Priboj fills with tons of waste in Serbia. The giant mountain of sludge is made up of plastic bottles, rusty barrels, dead animals and even furniture and home appliances. The problem spans decades and stems from poor waste management and a general lack of environmental protection and safeguards throughout the Balkans. Since early December last year, some 10,000 cubic meters of waste have been pulled from the water near Priboj. But even that amount is just a fraction of what still needs to be removed.