Activists of the Green Action environmental organisation on Tuesday warned that the situation with waste management in Zagreb was bad, accusing Mayor Milan Bandic of creating a controlled chaos in order to additionally increase citizens' monthly waste bills.

“Putting numerous waste containers on the streets, irregular waste collection, lack of supervision and control and unjust charging, which takes no account of the quantity of waste a household generates, does not make the system functional, it is a state of chaos caused by Bandic’s administration,” the activists said after a protest outside the City Council.

They claim that there is a plan to accuse citizens of separating waste inappropriately so that their monthly waste bills could be increased.

The announced system of waste separation is far from being idyllic, they say.

“The (current) system of waste containers that are not controlled and regularly emptied, with the system of charging for waste collection not respecting the legal principle of paying for the generated waste depending on its quantity, punishes the most those who make effort to separate and recycle waste,” said Marko Kosak of the Green Action.

Zagreb residents have shown that they want to separate and recycle waste but they want to do it the way that is done in cities larger than Zagreb, whose waste collection system is controlled, fair and encourages waste separation, he said.

“Everyone should be able to separate waste easily, be sure that it goes to the right place and be rewarded for that,” he said, adding that with the present system of waste collection, Zagreb would not be able to meet the waste recycling target of 50% by the end of 2020.

Kosak said the city authorities were trying to create the impression that waste bills have to go up because of the purchase of more waste containers and trucks, which, he claims, can be financed with money from EU funds.

He said that paying private companies to recycle waste instead of recycling waste in city-run plants that would make money that way, was proof of the city authorities’ incompetence.

“We are warning that all environmental, social and financial damage we are suffering today will only be an introduction into a real chaos and drastic price hikes if the city does not abandon the current inefficient waste management system,” said Kosak.