Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic said on Thursday that since the introduction of the new waste collection model and new waste collection tariffs, waste sorting in Zagreb had exceeded the most optimistic forecasts, admitting the model needed to be improved, notably regarding apartment buildings.

“The first goal has been achieved with a huge increase in waste sorting but we are aware that it takes a lot of work to finetune the system and make it adequate,” the mayor said.

“It is clear that the new model of waste sorting is functioning in the city centre but that it needs improvement in other parts of the city,” he said at a news conference during a visit to one of the city hospitals.

A month since the introduction of the new system of waste collection and new waste collection tariffs, waste sorting in the Croatian capital has increased drastically.

“We have to wait for official figures, but according to unofficial information, it is evident that waste sorting has increased drastically, exceeding even the most optimistic expectations of the Cistoca waste management company,” he said.

He added that the model for the collection of mixed municipal waste, whose quantity has now decreased, would be reviewed. It was previously announced that such waste would be collected once a week for family houses and Tomasevic said today that the collection of mixed waste once a week was also being considered for apartment buildings.

He said that preliminary data showed that in 80 to 90% of the cases containers for mixed waste from family houses contained blue, ZG bags for mixed waste and that citizens were using them.

He added, however, that there was room for improvement, notably regarding apartment buildings outside the city centre and that efforts would be made to improve the current model.