The regional waste management provider, Pastrimi, has issued a statement in response to the declaration of a state of emergency by the Municipality of Podujevë regarding the local waste situation. The company disputed accusations of mismanagement leveled by the municipality’s mayor, Shpejtim Bulliqi. Pastrimi asserted that the financial difficulties experienced by the Operational Unit in Podujevë are not recent occurrences but rather the culmination of issues built up over several years.
According to the company, a primary contributing factor is the failure to adjust the waste collection fee since 2008. The statement highlighted the significant disparity between rising operational costs and the stagnant fee structure. Pastrimi noted that despite substantial increases in expenditures—covering fuel, spare parts, landfill operations, maintenance, salaries, and other overheads—the collection fee remains fixed at 4.70 euros, including VAT, equating to approximately 3.80 euros net.
This declaration places the municipality and the waste management provider at the center of a dispute over waste infrastructure funding. While the local government declared an emergency due to the waste crisis, Pastrimi shifted the focus to the long-term financial sustainability of the service, pointing to the outdated fee structure as the root cause of the current operational strain. The core of the dispute revolves around the necessary adjustments to municipal fees to align with current economic realities and operational demands.
Topics: #pastrimi #company #municipality
