In order to increase levels of awareness regarding the importance of preserving the environment and cleanliness of the city, we constantly appeal to the public, organise extraordinary cleaning activities and pay special attention to the education of citizens, especially pre-schoolers and primary school pupils
Public Utility Company “Čistoća Novi Sad” manages to achieve high standards in maintaining public hygiene thanks to the renewal of its fleet, raising productivity, consistently fulfilling works programmes and realising capital investments.
Novi Sad is considered one of the cleanest cities in Serbia and in the region. What does it take to preserve this image?
– According to our field experience, people from Novi Sad know how to dispose of waste, and PUC “Čistoća” has been improving its business activities year on year. In addition to cleaning activities, the maintenance of public hygiene and refuse collection, our company works continuously on educating citizens, and the problem is those few whose unscrupulous and irresponsible behaviour, unfortunately, is most noticeable.
These are people who, despite our constant appeals, make illegal dumps. We also have problems with the improper disposal of bulky waste and construction rubble, which is punishable by law, but these individuals are still not prevented from doing it.
People from Novi Sad can now efficiently classify waste through your pilot project under the slogan “Let us get used to it!”. How much interest is there in this?
– In November last year, we completed a one-year pilot project of primary waste separation, carried out in the wider centre of Novi Sad, which included 15,000 households. We are particularly pleased that citizens accepted the project very well, and the percentage of recyclable waste transported by special trucks to the landfill was increased by 30%.
From 1st January to 30th November 2017, within the Primary Separation project, 2,644 tonnes of waste was collected, but this is not the end. We are currently preparing a project for the further expansion of primary separation in urbanised parts of the city with the most densely populated areas, i.e. those where waste disposal is at the highest level, such as ‘Liman’ and ‘Novo Naselje’. Our plan is for this project to cover the entire city and suburbs.
We will put efforts to set up underground containers in all parts of the city in the following years. These are far more cost-effective than the ground level ones, as they have larger capacities than the latter ones and facilitate the maintenance of public hygiene
Will you continue organising the campaign “Big Spring Cleaning” and landscaping children’s playgrounds and outdoor sports grounds in neighbourhoods throughout the city?
– Once weather conditions are favourable, we will continue the general city cleaning, comprehensive landscaping of children’s playgrounds and sports grounds. As usual, we invite all people from Novi Sad to support us in these activities, primarily by acting responsibly and not discarding of rubbish in playgrounds and sports grounds outside the containers intended for that purpose.
Is there a permanent solution for the problem of illegal dumps that are now along access roads to Novi Sad?
– A permanent solution to the problem of illegal dumps depends on several factors. We are working constantly on the removal of illegal dumps, but we also act preventatively, in order not to allow their creation in the first place, which is far more important. Considering that the creation of illegal dumps is punishable by law, we are planning a series of periodic activities in cooperation with the Communal Police and Communal Inspection. Punishing irreconcilable individuals and legal entities, in cooperation with the media informing citizens about such actions, will prevent the future creation of illegal dumps.