At the 3rd session of the City Council today, the annual report of the municipal city company Zeleno i modro for the past year was presented, which was discussed by the director of the company Zeleno i modro. There was also a discussion about the announced increase in the price of garbage collection, and the councilors were most interested in the reasons. According to Lučić, the problem arose from significantly higher expenses for workers' salaries and the price of waste disposal services, which has increased many times over in recent years.
Green and Blue made a loss of 340 thousand euros last year
- As in previous years, our primary goal was to maintain the municipal system of the City of Kaštela, waste collection, parking fees, maintenance of public areas, management and patrolling, and a number of other services that directly affect the quality of life of our citizens. Financial results show that we achieved total revenues of 4,57 million euros, which is an increase of 21 percent compared to the previous year. The largest share of revenues, almost three quarters, comes from the public waste collection service. Other significant items are the maintenance of unclassified roads and services related to waste collection, and parking fees. On the other hand, labor and service costs accounted for almost 80 percent of total costs, while depreciation remains a significant item. Costs increased by 32 percent and totaled 4,9 million euros, resulting in a loss of 340 thousand euros - said Lučić.
Waste disposal service becomes five times more expensive in 5 years
The largest costs were employee costs, which increased by 30 percent, and waste management services, especially mixed municipal waste, which increased by 100 percent compared to the previous year, and by as much as 500 percent compared to 2019/20 when we started providing the public service. Despite these challenges, investments did not stop. We invested 480 thousand euros in the purchase of new utility vehicles and equipment, as well as in the arrangement of our work spaces, all for the sake of long-term efficiency and quality of service, said Lučić, among other things, adding that he believes that in the years to come, with the support of the City of Kaštela, he will ensure that Zeleno i modro continues to be a reliable support for our citizens and all our partners.
Praise has arrived for the cleanliness of the city. Is the planned price increase justified?
At the request of the councilor Goran Samardžić (NL JB) what will they do after the closure of Karepovec, which is scheduled for a year, where and how do they plan to dispose of the garbage. Town hall MOST Milija Baldić Lukšić referred to the conclusion of the report, which states that they were operating at a loss, primarily due to wage increases, rising input costs and general inflation, while utility prices remained unchanged.
- This situation requires urgent measures, among which the correction of prices and the initiation of new activities can serve as additional sources of income and the rationalization of operations through the analysis and reduction of unnecessary costs. That's your conclusion and I want you to present it to me and I want to state that you are doing a good job, but your company is not doing well - said Lukšić.
Town hall Mary Bedalov Smoje (HP) She approached Lučić, saying that he was doing his job well, but that the company was not doing well, and she was interested in where the funds would be drawn to finance the Zeleno i modro company. In addition, how they intended to rationalize operations and create new values, and that inflation did not justify the planned price increase.
While Marinka Parcina (NL JB) said that the public consultation to which the draft proposal on providing a public service for collecting municipal waste in the area of the City of Kaštela was submitted will reveal the real situation of what exactly is happening and that cleanliness is of primary importance to us, given that we are a tourist city.
- The Karepovac landfill has capacity for another 9 to 12 months. I am in intensive communication with the managers of various landfills in Croatia and we have no reason to panic about waste disposal, the only question is where it will be. As for the conclusion, we have a new activity starting this year related to the management and maintenance of residential buildings, which will be an additional source of income and help cover costs. Rationalization of operations will also be a focus, but 80 percent of expenses are employees and disposal, and we do not want to save on hard-working workers who do their job excellently. We have a specific situation here when determining income and expenses. With us, it is the opposite than in other industries. I have a given income and based on that I have to organize expenses for our company in a way that makes financial operations successful. What is small, we can all agree is unusual and strange and unnatural in that sense, but here it is, that's how it is. So. "Given that you, as the City Council, are adopting a price list that directly affects our income, the only thing we can do is manage our expenses," concluded Lučić.
Waste collection prices to increase by 20 to 34 percent
What should be added is that it was also expected that one of the councilors would touch upon the possible increase in the price of waste collection by 20 to 34 percent, which we also discussed. писали considering that a public consultation has been published on a new draft proposal on the provision of a public service for municipal waste collection in the area of the City of Kaštela, which will last until October 3rd.
Namely, as stated in the draft, the company continued to operate in the red in 2025, and the price increase would not be due to profit-making, but to covering real costs and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the public service in the interest of all users. Namely, the company incurred a loss from the public service of 697.339,21 euros in the first seven months of 2025.
The director of the Green and Blue company did not comment on the question about the price increase, but also the penalties that are being introduced, until the public consultation is over and he invited all those who have questions or criticisms to do so through the consultation.
- As for the price increase, as you say due to poor business, I would say that is not true. Our operations are excellent, our city is among the cleanest in the County. It is best for all citizens to submit their suggestions and criticisms at the public consultation because there is no point in discussing something that is not yet in use. Contractual penalties have existed for a long time and are prescribed by law. This is standard practice in all cities in Croatia – said Lučić briefly.
Photo: Ivana Topic
