Anniversary of Tomašević’s Waste Model: Waste is More Separated, Problems Still Persist

A year ago, a new model for separating and collecting waste was introduced in Zagreb, and although more waste is being separated than before, citizens, especially the local opposition, criticize the system as the problem of overflowing bins and insufficiently frequent pickups still exists.

The model, which has been in effect since October 1 of last year, was presented as part of the solution to long-standing issues with waste collection services in Zagreb.

Tomašević’s model relies on official ZG bags, aimed at motivating citizens to separate as much as possible since mixed municipal waste can only be disposed of in these bags, and each bag incurs an additional charge.

It has also been mandated that each waste bin must be placed under the owner’s supervision, to remove them from the streets, but also to penalize those who commit offenses and carelessly dispose of waste.

Tomašević emphasized that this model is fairer because citizens who separate waste will pay a lower service fee than those who do not.

The goal was also to remove waste bins from the sidewalks in the city center.

23 Percent Less Mixed Waste

Data from the City Administration shows that waste separation in Zagreb has indeed increased, with 23 percent less mixed municipal waste collected in the first eight months of 2023 compared to the same period last year.

On the other hand, the amount of collected bio-waste has increased by 111 percent, plastic by 63 percent, and paper by 10 percent.

According to estimates, 50 percent of garbage bins have been removed from public areas. Owners have returned them to their yards or to the plots of their houses or buildings.

Across the city, about a hundred standardized boxes have been set up – with access control (where bins for those who could not return them to the plots of multi-family buildings are located), and on the streets, less expensive solutions can be seen – bins being locked with padlocks and chains.

Three Hundred Thousand Euros in Fines

Alongside the newly enacted rules, special teams have been formed this summer in Zagreb’s Cleanliness and Municipal Inspection with the task of controlling the model.

During regular inspections of bins in Zagreb’s neighborhoods, it is checked whether citizens are disposing of their mixed municipal waste exclusively in ZG bags, whether business users have been assigned special bins, and municipal inspectors penalize irregularities outside the waste bins – for example, if someone improperly disposes of bulky waste.

From December 2022 to September 26, 2023, Cleanliness issued fines totaling nearly 300 thousand euros for those who do not adhere to the new model, mostly targeting business users.

A total of 2,592 fines were issued amounting to 261,000 euros, meaning that on average, each business user paid a fine of about 100 euros. The remaining 842 fines were issued to individual citizens, totaling 33,000 euros, which means that each offender paid an average of 40 euros for non-compliance with the model.

At the same time, Municipal Inspectors issued 424 misdemeanor orders against companies amounting to 110,000 euros, 311 misdemeanor sanctions for citizens totaling just over 37,000 euros, and a smaller number of fines for craftsmen.

Overflowing Bins

In total, this amounts to nearly 450 thousand euros in fines for non-compliance with the model.

However, the sight of overflowing waste bins, which have long been a symbol of the waste collection service in Zagreb, remains, despite fines and stricter controls, the most evident argument for the dissatisfaction of part of the citizens with the service, as well as a loud criticism from the city opposition.

Thus, the president of Zagreb’s HDZ, Mislav Herman, often repeats that ‘Zagreb is neglected and dirty’.

MP Gordana Rusak, while still in the Labor and Solidarity Party club, often compared Zagreb to Naples, alluding to poor waste management.

Recently, the coalition partner of the Zagreb government – SDP – officially joined the long line of dissatisfied. The new president of the party club in the Assembly, Tanja Sokolić, announced this week that “SDP is dissatisfied with the level of municipal services and the way waste is managed.”

However, evidence that the problem with waste collection services, often symbolized by photographs of overflowing and messy bins, did not arise only in the current mandate is best found in the photo galleries on the social media of Zagreb’s political parties.

Overflowing bins are standard content on the social profiles of parties from all political options in Zagreb.

The bins that were published in 2018 by the party of the current mayor when he was in opposition criticizing Mayor Milan Bandić appear equally overflowing, as do those that the current opposition, and former government (Labor and Solidarity Party and HDZ), use to attract dissatisfied citizens on Facebook by criticizing Mayor Tomašević.

Operational Reasons

Hina asked the city authorities how this most evident problem for citizens arises and how they are addressing it, whether they receive complaints about difficulties with waste collection, and whether these have increased after the introduction of the new waste collection model.

They emphasize that where there is the greatest need – which are large bins in multi-family buildings, they have managed to increase the collection of plastic and paper to once a week (previously it was every two weeks). They also state that they have “communicated” with representatives of residents about whether they need larger bins for recyclables.

– In the area of the city of Zagreb, Cleanliness collects paper, plastic, and bio-waste six days a week, in all three shifts. Also, once or even more times a week, bins located within green islands on public surfaces are emptied – they state from the City.

However, although they did not provide information on the frequency of citizen complaints, they admit that due to operational reasons, Cleanliness sometimes cannot collect waste according to schedule.

– The most common reasons for this are the inability to access bins due to improperly parked cars, cases where the user does not take out the bin, and the lack of timely notification that bins have been moved to landfills or boxes – they list in the City.

Equipment or vehicle failures also frequently occur, but despite this, when waste collection is not carried out according to the planned daily schedule, they assure that waste will be collected the next day or at the latest by the end of the current week.

Lack of Vehicles and Workers

When asked if it is possible to increase the number of collections, especially considering that the amount of different waste fractions – which must be collected in separate trucks, according to a specific schedule, with a certain number of people – has doubled, they stated that they are working on improving service quality.

They revealed that they lack operational capacities – workers and trucks.

– Cleanliness systematically renews its capacities. This year, the arrival of four new trucks is expected, and next year another 11 new trucks – they emphasize.

They plan to hire about 200 more municipal workers, and as they say, along with improving working conditions, they are investing in raising the quality of service for citizens.