Montenegro plans to invest 330 million euros in the next three years to close down illegal landfills, transition to a circular economy, and establish regional waste disposal centers, with another 200 million in potential costs for infrastructure and equipment.
That money has not yet been secured, although it is planned to be allocated from the state treasury, loans from international banks, municipalities and foreign funds, so the Ministry of Finance believes that alternative sources of financing should be found - in order to reduce the burden on the budget.
This, among other things, is stated in the opinion of the department News of Vuković submitted to the Proposal of the State Waste Management Plan for the period 2025-2029, which the Government adopted at the end of October last year.
With this plan, the state intends to ensure Montenegro's transition to an environmentally sustainable circular economy by 2029 and ensure effective and efficient waste management, i.e. to minimize waste by using recyclable materials.
The Regulatory Impact Assessment Report states that the total financial estimate is €330 million. In addition, up to €200 million is tentatively planned, following the completion of six planning studies that will specify additional infrastructure needs...
In addition, as a candidate for membership in the European Union, Montenegro is obliged to establish an integrated waste management system, which is one of the priorities on the European path and the closure of Chapter 27 (environment and climate change).
The Ministry of Finance believes that ambitions must be aligned with the money provided and state finances, because the plan foresees an investment of 30 million euros and the closure of all temporary landfills by the end of this year, while the costs for 2027 are 25 million and 20 million in 2028 and 2029.
"The Regulatory Impact Analysis Report states that the total financial estimate is 330 million euros. In addition, up to 200 million euros is conditionally planned, after the completion of six planning studies that will specify additional infrastructure needs. The funds must be provided in the period from 2025 to 2029. According to the Report, the funds have not been fully provided - their provision is planned to be successively provided during the duration of the plan, through a combination of national budget funds, loan arrangements with international financial institutions, funds from local self-government units and international funds (IPA and other EU programs). The Ministry of Finance proposes that the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development intensify activities so that as much of the missing funds needed for the further implementation of the project are financed from other donor funds, in order to relieve the burden on budget spending," the opinion of this department states.
Municipalities to close landfills
The Ministry of Finance also states that 1,07 million euros were planned from the state treasury for the implementation of the plan last year, with 35 million euros secured through a loan from the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), ten million from municipalities, five million from international funds, and one million euros from a grant.
From the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development, which is managed by Damjan Ćulafić, told "Vijesti" that they plan to build four regional waste management centers - in Bijelo Polje, Nikšić, Podgorica and Bar. The centers would serve for the collection, processing, recycling and disposal of waste, namely plastic, glass, metal, paper, electronic and biological waste, sorting by materials and categories for easier processing, temporary storage, recycling, pressing plastic or crushing glass, education...
"The Regional Center in Nikšić will be implemented with the support of the World Bank and next year the main construction project is planned, which will demonstrate its value. Activities are underway for the Regional Center in Bijelo Polje. According to the Report on the Implementation of the State Plan for 2024, there are around 334 unregulated landfills. However, this number is not constant because the activities carried out to remove them are constant, but at the same time new ones are emerging. The Environmental Protection Fund (Ekofond) is implementing the Program for the Removal of Waste Discarded into the Environment, the so-called 'illegal landfills', and in this way local self-government units have significant support in eliminating this significant problem. When it comes to illegal landfills, local self-governments will have to address this issue much more promptly than has been the practice so far," they pointed out.
They also state that so far, the temporary landfill "Mostina" in Rožaje has been closed by order of the state municipal inspection, while the landfill "Mislov do" in Nikšić was closed in 2024, and the rehabilitation of the landfill "Zakršnica" in Mojkovac was completed last year. This rehabilitation was completed at the end of last year, and cost the capital budget 4.227.940 euros.
They are preparing a recycling register.
When asked how many sewage treatment plants should be built in Montenegro, at which locations and how much it would cost, the Ministry emphasized that the locations in certain municipalities have been determined based on spatial planning documentation, and that they are currently working on calculating the costs for negotiating Chapter 27 - after which they will know the construction price.
"When it comes to recycling, there is currently no uniform reporting form on the quantities of waste fractions that are prepared for reuse, which is why there are differences in data. Activities are underway to establish a single database. So, according to the Report on the Implementation of the State Waste Management Plan, about 19 percent of the collected waste from the entire territory of Montenegro was prepared for reuse and recycling. For example, during 2024, 4.973 tons of waste paper, cardboard, plastic packaging and glass packaging (non-hazardous waste) were collected and prepared for reuse and recycling; 252 tons of hazardous waste from EE equipment; 5.471 tons of batteries and accumulators; 221 tons of waste tires; 117 tons of end-of-life vehicles," the department stated.
They also claim that they are continuously conducting various campaigns to strengthen and raise awareness, and that the waste management plan envisages the development of a State Communication Plan - which will create local communication plans and educate the public about the importance of being included in the process of establishing sustainable waste management.
Regional centers by the end of this year?
The state waste management plan until 2029 states that the cost of investing in waste management infrastructure will be around 400 million euros, in order for Montenegro to become a "zero landfill" society - by banning the creation of new ones, closing existing ones, and rehabilitating all landfills by 2030.
The plan is to first build four regional waste management centers, and a year later, to provide the missing infrastructure and equipment in the municipalities, in order to operate according to the state plan. Among other things, the plan is to transport end-of-life vehicles to the end-of-life vehicle recycling facility within the Podgorica landfill “Livade”, while tires would first be processed in the regional centers of Nikšić, Bar and Bijelo Polje, and then sent to Podgorica.
The regional center in Nikšić would serve that municipality and the municipalities of Herceg Novi, Kotor, Plužine, Šavnik and Žabljak, while the facility in Bar would be intended for that city and the rest of the coast, i.e. Budva, Ulcinj, Tivat. The Bijelo Polje waste center would serve that municipality, but also Andrijevica, Berane, Gusinje, Kolašin, Mojkovac, Petnjica, Plav, Pljevlja and Rožaje, while the regional facility in Podgorica would be responsible for the Capital, Cetinje, Tuzi, Danilovgrad and Zeta.
"It is planned that all regional waste management centers will be built by the end of 2026 and put into operation. Consider options for transporting collected waste from the territory of the municipalities of Kotor and Herceg Novi to regional waste management centers in the municipalities of Nikšić or Bar, from the aspect of efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Primary selection of municipal waste is carried out at the local government level, and then in regional waste management centers. Conduct a feasibility study for biowaste treatment and for an incineration plant in the regional center in Podgorica. If the study shows the justification for building an incineration plant, all waste that cannot be further recycled will be transported to the Podgorica center for incineration," the plan states.
Bijelo Polje is the leader in landfills
The plan emphasizes that out of 334 illegal landfills, the most are in Bijelo Polje - 105, while there are 38 in Berane. The fewest are in Budva and Danilovgrad, three and two respectively.
It is emphasized that there are already four waste recycling centers in Montenegro, in Podgorica at the “Livade” landfill, Herceg Novi, Žabljak and Kotor. There are also six recycling yards in the capital, while four are located in Herceg Novi, Kotor, Budva and Mojkovac.
According to the document, Podgorica also has a facility for processing end-of-life vehicles, and in Berane there is a facility for processing medical waste. There is a facility for processing electrical and electronic waste in Bar, while this coastal municipality and Podgorica also have landfills for non-hazardous waste - "Livade" and "Možura". It is added that there are 18 controlled landfills in Montenegro, with two intended only for construction waste - "Dragalj" and "Brajići".
The total costs of managing 360.000 tons of municipal waste annually are planned to amount to 160 million euros, while the prices of services that citizens will pay would also increase.
“Since the population of the northern region is expected to be most affected by the implementation of the waste management plan, the authorities should carefully design a set of measures through the development of a financial and operational improvement program, including, in particular, improved revenue collection mechanisms. Reported collection rates for households are only 35 percent, while for businesses they range from 50 to 60 percent,” the document states.
It is emphasized that in order to implement the plan, municipalities will have to develop local municipal and non-hazardous construction waste management plans, which will be valid for the period in which the plan is in force. The plan also states that Montenegro has adopted the Law on Waste Management and several by-laws and regulations, which established the legal framework for the State Waste Management System.
Prohibitions also for unregistered collectors
The plan emphasizes that the Law on Waste Management prohibits waste collection by citizens and companies that are not registered for this purpose, but that it is still not known what exact quantities are involved.
"There is a problem with the implementation of the law, as certain persons who are not registered in the register of collectors illegally collect certain fractions of recycled waste (especially cardboard packaging) from containers, thereby reducing the amount of waste collected by municipal companies. An additional problem is that these quantities are not recorded," the document states.
Debt up to 107 million
The state budget for this year states that the state can borrow 107 million euros to finance investments in the waste disposal sector.
The state treasury, among other things, has earmarked an allocation of 55 for the construction of sanitary landfills, transfer stations, recycling centers and yards, as well as the rehabilitation of existing municipal waste landfills, while 60.000 euros have been allocated for the wastewater treatment plant in Buljarica.
101.000 euros are planned for the construction of a municipal waste recycling yard in Bar, and 10.000 euros for technical support in the preparation of a new waste management plan, strategy and public campaigns.
"The state may borrow from the French Development Agency (AFD) for the purposes of financing the project 'Support for the Establishment of the Regional Waste Management Center in Bijelo Polje' in the amount of up to 20.000.000 euros. With the World Bank, for the purposes of financing the project 'Waste Management Reform', in the amount of up to 87.120.000 euros," the document states.
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