Disagreements over where waste bills should be paid in Pristina, says the CEO of the "Pastrimi" company

Disagreements between the Municipality of Pristina and the "Pastrimi" company have been ongoing for several months now, causing uncertainty among citizens regarding where and how to pay waste bills.

The Municipality of Pristina calls on citizens to pay their waste bills at the Municipality, while the "Pastrimi" Company recalls that it is responsible for waste management and collection, therefore the collection of payments should remain within its competence.

The CEO of the "Pastrimi" Enterprise, Petrit Reçica, in an interview with Telegrafi, spoke about when the disagreements between them and the Municipality of Pristina arose.

He says that the Municipality of Pristina has had and continues to have the goal of replacing the "Pastrimi" Enterprise with private operators.

"But in reality, the essence, I would say, the first beginnings when we presented those disagreements, was the idea of ​​the municipality to replace a public enterprise with private operators and this was one of those beginnings where we did not agree and continue to disagree. Because we consider that we are doing a job of protecting the public interest, as is our enterprise, because it is an enterprise that provides waste collection services for nearly eighty years of experience in this industry", emphasized Reçica.

The Chief Executive further added that above all, the "Pastrimi" company is a public enterprise where the Municipality of Pristina itself is the main shareholder.

"And this has been unprecedented and illogical to think that a public enterprise should be replaced, if they think that such a thing should be done, then it is fine, it is up to the shareholders to choose the modality whether they want an enterprise to exist, normally and then also those legal obligations. However, the way in which they have chosen to replace it with private operators, for us has been unacceptable and continues to be unacceptable", he underlined.

Meanwhile, regarding the issue of waste payment, Reçica said that they continue to defend their right based on the law.

"Yes, we continue to defend our right that we have based on the law, in the Regulation on waste, where it is clearly defined and indisputable that the company 'Pastrimi' is competent for the collection of invoices. Because it is stated decisively in the Regulation, if you can see it, it is a change to supplement the Regulation, Article 4, where it defines, it says that waste generators pay directly to 'Pastrimi' and this is something that has been given to us by the Regulation as an obligation and duty, so it is not a matter of wishful thinking", he claimed.

Reçica reiterated that they are the only company that provides the service and that they are not the only company that carries out billing and collection in accordance with regulations.

"The same thing happens to other local public enterprises in Pristina, and it is unfair that this issue is being made to 'Pastrimi', while other enterprises do not have such a thing and ultimately our enterprise is a self-financing enterprise and is not part of the municipal budget. And there is no logic for the municipality to collect on our behalf, because we normally depend heavily on collection because we cover all expenses and costs from those funds," he said.

He also said that since January of this year, they have over 2 million euros uncollected, adding that if this continues, the service will be rendered impossible.

For Telegrafi, Reçica called on citizens to pay their waste bills only to the "Pastrimi" company, reiterating that the Municipality of Pristina does not even have the legal right to send citizens envelopes, warning them that it will send them to the bailiff.

"From January 2025, XNUMX onwards, it is our sole competence and we call on citizens with the fullest and best possible understanding to respond positively to our call, let them fulfill their obligations. In the event of a dispute between us and the municipality, there should be no consequences for the citizen and I appreciate that the more payments in our enterprise, the more real the opportunities are for us to provide the service", he emphasized.

Reçica expressed optimism that the disagreements with the Municipality of Pristina will be resolved very soon. /Telegraph/