Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic said on Tuesday that fines for noncompliance with the new, temporary model of disposal of mixed municipal waste, would range between 700 and 1,000 kuna (approximately between €90 and 130) for residents of downtown Zagreb.

Fines for businesses in the city centre will be even higher, the mayor said at a regular news conference.

He explained that under the new but temporary model of waste collection in downtown Zagreb, containers for all types of waste – mixed municipal waste, bio-waste and paper – would be removed from the streets.

Those who cannot put those containers in their buildings or backyards have the possibility to take out unsorted municipal waste in bags into the street, between 8 and 10 pm every day.

“Mixed municipal waste will be collected six times a week, every day except Sunday. Other types of waste will be disposed of on green islands, which in the city centre are located every 200 metres or so,” he said.

Residents of downtown Zagreb who will be able to keep waste containers inside their buildings will have to take them out at the time of waste collection and take them back inside in the morning. The same rules apply to businesses in downtown Zagreb, for which fines will be much higher, except for those that have special contracts for waste collection with the Zagreb Holding multiutility conglomerate.

€240m loan take to prevent worst-case scenario for Zagreb Holding

In a comment on reports about the unlawfulness and harmful effects of a €240 million (1.8 billion kuna) loan taken by Zagreb Holding to refinance its existing debts, with 92% of the loan to be used to pay debts and the rest to cover the cost of severance pay for surplus workers, Tomasevic said that the reports were unjustified.

“An ugly scenario threatening Zagreb Holding has been avoided,” he said, noting that the loan was entirely legal and that all the necessary approvals for it had been obtained.

(€1 = 7.5 kuna)