There are irresponsible citizens and we have to report them

The capital city and the company "Čistoća" have provided spaces where citizens can legally dispose of waste, but irresponsible individuals continue to use at least inadequate spaces - riverbeds, public areas..., which is why this city company is calling the Municipal Office for help. inspection and police.

This is what the director of the company "Čistoća" Andrija Čađenović told "Vijesta".

He said that Podgorica has been provided with a sufficient number of containers (metal and semi-underground), six recycling yards (one mobile), containers for the disposal of plant and bulky waste,...

Čađenović warns that "wild landfills", which are created as a result of unscrupulous behavior of individuals, represent a perennial problem in the work of "Čistoća" in almost all parts of the city.

"Unfortunately, in almost all settlements there are locations where waste of various origins is continuously deposited around containers (construction, plants, old furniture...), often the same locations are cleaned several times during one shift, and often the waste is dumped to newly cleaned locations", stated Čađenović.

It is not a rare case, he says, that improperly parked vehicles prevent the access of vehicles for emptying containers, and in the winter, containers often catch fire and are damaged due to the release of flammable substances.

"This requires daily cooperation with the Municipal Inspection and the Municipal Police, so that these services, in accordance with their powers, by sanctioning unscrupulous individuals who dispose of waste outside the designated places, or park vehicles in front of containers, affect the reduction of the number of locations where illegal waste disposal sites are formed and enable unhindered discharge thereof. We also have almost daily communication with other city services, with the aim of solving the recorded problems as a team".

Thus, according to the director of the company, since the beginning of 2019, "Čistoća" has sent more than 30 reports to the Municipal Inspection with photos from the scene, ten of which related to physical persons observed dumping waste on public areas.

"Eight reports related to legal entities, while 13 reports were sent to point out irregularities committed in locations where the perpetrators were not found. We also have almost daily communication with other city services, with the aim of solving the recorded problems as a team", stated Čađenović.

The director of that company also says that the debt of natural persons based on the municipal waste removal service is 2.309.872 euros at the end of 2019.

"There are 23.975 lawsuits against natural persons in the process, in the total amount of 1.407.076 euros, which includes 61 percent of the total claims from natural persons. The value of funds collected from January to September is 1.261.832, which is a collection of 92 percent. The debt of legal entities based on the municipal waste removal service is 1.695.105 euros. There are over 3.900 lawsuits in the process, in the total amount of 1.348.260 euros, which covers 79 percent of the total claims from legal entities".

The value of collected funds, as he pointed out, from January to November 2019 is 2.334.488 euros, which compared to the value of invoiced realization in the same period, which is 2.374.408, represents a collection percentage of 98 percent.

"In a timely manner, we submit proposals for execution against all users who do not regularly pay their obligations, in order to protect their claims from the statute of limitations."

The primary obligation of "Cistoca" is to maintain the hygiene of the city at an enviable level, which is why they are constantly working to improve their services.

"In March 2019, the installation of semi-underground containers intended for the disposal of the 'dry' and 'wet' fraction of waste began, in support of the concept of the application of primary waste selection. This concept implies performing primary selection, that is, sorting waste at the place of its origin, into two containers, and placing containers for disposal of the 'dry' and 'wet' fractions is carried out in the center of the city", said Čađenović.

He explained that in 2019, there were nine semi-underground containers intended for the disposal of the "dry" and "wet" fraction of waste, and by the end of that year, four more dedicated containers were supposed to be put into operation.

"After the public procurement procedure was completed, 22 semi-underground containers were delivered to us in September, one of which is for dry and wet fraction, while two containers were installed at four new locations with the aim of separate waste disposal, and at 11 locations, in addition to the existing semi-underground, one more container was installed, all with the aim of supporting this concept...", he said.

Čađenović states that eight more semi-underground containers will be installed, the purchase of which was ensured from the funds allocated to the capital city by the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria, with the aim of improving the quality of the waste management system on the territory of Podgorica.

An electric mobile vacuum cleaner was also purchased

In December 2019, according to Čađenović, the company also has an electric mobile vacuum cleaner, the first in Montenegro.

"The value of the vacuum cleaner is 14.500 euros, the purchase was financed from the funds of 'Cistoće', so we continued investing in modern equipment, and by purchasing electric devices, we additionally contribute to the protection of the environment," said Čađenović.

He pointed out that in cooperation with Montenegrin Telecom and the company Amplitudo, the implementation of the Pilot Project for smart management of waste removal for the needs of "Cistoca" has also begun.

"The project consists of two components: a sensor for reading the level of waste in containers and a mobile application whose focus is on communication with clients, both individuals and companies. So far, sensors have been installed in five semi-underground containers, which inform the city services in real time about the container's occupancy. The implementation of the mobile application, which is planned in the coming period, will enable the connection of users with city services, with the aim of faster waste removal, exchange of information on the amount of collected and recycled waste, as well as the promotion of a positive impact on urban ecology", explained Čađenović.

Educating children to be better citizens

Čađenović pointed out that "Čistoća" works to raise the ecological awareness of citizens through numerous activities.

"As the youngest are certainly the future of every society and the bearers of development, we put special emphasis on the education of school and preschool children, but also the involvement of parents, school staff and the wider community in the issues of environmental protection, recycling and waste separation".

Since the beginning of last year, he says, 30 educational workshops have been held, and the aforementioned activities will be carried out in the coming period as well, through a combination of lectures, ecological education, joint marking of important dates related to environmental protection, but also through the continuation of good cooperation with schools in the part of placing bins for selecting waste that the students will be able to use and therefore develop awareness from an early age about the importance of preserving the environment through proper waste disposal.

"In addition to these activities, the start of the implementation of each project was accompanied by the distribution of info flyers, we regularly inform citizens through the media about the Company's activities, and all important information is also available on our website, as well as on Facebook and Instagram pages.