Zagreb's city sanitation company, Cistoca, has issued more than 250 fines for noncompliance with the city's new waste collection model since its entry into force three months ago, officials at the city administration say.

Cistoca company workers and utility workers in charge of checking compliance with the new waste sorting and collection model have issued around 2,800 warnings and more than 250 fines, with fines, which refer to known perpetrators, amounting to more than €40,000 (300,000 kuna).

The new model, in force since 1 October, envisages, among other things, the disposal of mixed waste exclusively in official ZG bags, and by purchasing them citizens actually pay the variable part of the waste collection charge.

Content of bags checked, documented

Since 29 November, when inspections started, utility workers have been opening waste containers as well as bags other than ZG waste bags to inspect their content, documenting everything in the process and focusing on cases of disposal of waste in containers other than one’s own. They also target legal entities disposing of their waste in containers that belong to households.

Despite the warnings issued, the city administration says the new waste collection model functions very well in the city centre.

Good results have been reported also as regards family houses across the city, with 80 to 90% of waste bags in their waste containers being ZG waste bags for mixed municipal waste.

According to preliminary data, since the introduction of the new model, the amount of mixed municipal waste at the city’s Jakusevec landfill has dropped by 27%, and the amount of recyclable waste has increased, with the amount of plastic waste having increased by 40%, the amount of bio waste by 30% and the amount of paper by 9%.

Stricter controls of apartment buildings

The city government gave citizens time to adjust to the new model of waste sorting and disposal in its first couple of months, with Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic announcing stricter controls already in mid-December.

As of January, stricter controls will start for apartment buildings, whose owners – those who cannot keep waste containers within the premises of their buildings – were to start the process of procurement of standardised waste containers.

“Cistoca has so far given approval for the installation of 800 containers in public areas, while around 650 tenants’ representatives have applied with the city administration to be issued with decisions approving the installation of standardised waste containers,” the city administration said.

It did not say how many such containers have been installed, considering that their purchase and installation are financed by apartment owners themselves who have to hire private companies to do the job.

The fine for keeping an unauthorised waste container in a public area is HRK 500 or €66.36 for households or HRK 1,000 or €132.72 for legal entities. The fine refers to a single instance of non-compliance.

10-litre ZG bag €0.26

Considering the kuna to euro changeover, Cistoca previously published the fixed rate for waste disposal and the price of ZG waste bags, as the variable part of the waste collection charge.

As of January, households pay for the disposal of waste a fixed charge of €5.97, while legal entities and small businesses pay €11.95 per month, which, when compared with the kuna price, is a negligible difference of 0.02 kuna less for households and 0.03 kuna more for legal entities and small businesses.

The smallest, 10-litre ZG waste bag will now cost €0.26, the medium, 20-litre bag will cost €0.53 and the biggest, 40-litre ZG bag will cost €1.06.