Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic said on Tuesday the worker seriously injured in a garbage landslide at Jakusevec was stable, that the concentration of gases was below the limit allowed and that this morning waste was disposed in a part of the landfill where there was no disposal ban.

Speaking to the press, Tomasevic said he visited the injured worker yesterday and that his life was not in danger.

Readings done by the Dr Andrija Stampar Public Health Institute at 10 am show a concentration of gases far below the limit allowed, he said, adding that despite the bad smell in the city, there is no danger to people’s health.

He denied reports that waste was disposed at Jakusevec last night, saying that in line with a State Inspectorate report, trucks were emptied in the part of the dump where there is no disposal ban.

The head of the city’s Waste Management company, Davor Vic, said they were making a plateau for the disposal of mixed waste and that they did all they could in line with recommendations.

He met with workers this morning. “We agreed to undertake every safety measure, but there is no absolute safety in anything. The part where waste is being disposed, in line with the Inspectorate’s recommendations, is secure.”

Asked how much more waste Jakusevec could take, Vic said it was difficult to estimate because this year mixed waste was reduced by 25%. He added that “biowaste is not being disposed at Jakusevec.”

Responding to questions, the mayor said that in order to close down Jakusevec, it was necessary to build the Resnik waste management centre first.

“The framework is defined by the state and that’s why we are asking at least not to be obstructed, even if we end up financing it. We expect a study to be adopted and the project documentation completed by the end of our term.”

After talks with the European Commission, it was concluded that EU funding is possible only if all three plants are at one location, Resnik, where the wastewater treatment plant is, Tomasevic said. “We need a signal from the government regarding that location. We insist on solving this with the government. The HDZ in the City Assembly  also voted for it.”

The city does not want the construction of a joint centre with Zagreb County, the mayor said.

As for possible protests by the residents of the Jakusevec district, Tomasevic said he could understand that after 20 years they were unhappy. “Some of those people also have some other motives for criticising, but I repeat, I realise that the citizens there are unhappy and they are right. We are doing our best for (the landfill) to be closed as soon as possible.”