The fifth sanitary vat will be completed by the end of March, and without it, citizens' bills for waste disposal would be many times higher, said Aleksandar Božović, director of the Podgorica Landfill, in an interview with "Colors of Morning" on TV Vijesti.
"We have completed practically all the earthworks and excavations, and we are now in the phase of installing protective layers, covering them with foils and everything else necessary for the sanitary bathtub to meet all environmental norms prescribed by EU standards," said Božović.
He pointed out that the new sanitary vat is of key importance not only for Podgorica, but also for a large part of Montenegro, considering the number of residents whose waste is disposed of at this location.
"If the fifth sanitary well is not built, we would be forced to export waste and pay for its incineration in European Union countries, at a price of around 250 euros per ton, plus transport. This would mean that citizens' bills would increase tenfold, instead of the current five or ten euros, they would amount to up to 70 or 100 euros," Božović warned.
According to him, the fifth sanitary bathtub is technologically improved compared to the previous ones and has a significantly larger capacity.
"It has been improved in all phases of construction, from materials to the method of using landfill gas. Its capacity is about 40 percent higher, and instead of the three and a half years that the previous one lasted, this one should last between five and six years," said Božović, adding that plans and project documentation for the construction of the sixth sanitary bath already exist.
The landfill recently put into operation the first waste tire crusher in Montenegro.
"We currently have about 2.000 tons of waste tires in stock, which is between 200 and 250 thousand pieces. We have already processed hundreds of tons and new quantities are arriving every day. This shows that tires are no longer ending up in nature, rivers and illegal landfills, as was the case before," he said.
Božović emphasized that the citizens of Podgorica can dispose of waste tires for free in the Čistoća recycling yards, while favorable treatment prices have been defined for business entities.
"Citizens have a choice, they can leave their tires with a tire repairer, who will pay for the treatment, or they can take them to recycling yards themselves, without any compensation. Our goal is to prevent tire burning and environmental incidents, because this is the greatest benefit for both citizens and the environment," said Božović.
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