Nearly 550 installed, Zagreb now procuring 1,000 more! Semi-underground containers coming to these neighborhoods

Zagreb is expanding its waste management infrastructure by installing more semi-underground containers, aiming to enhance urban aesthetics and service standards. To date, the city has installed 531 such containers across 177 locations, with ongoing work at an additional 25 sites.

The city has initiated a new public procurement process to acquire and install 1,000 more semi-underground containers. These new installations will be distributed across 350 planned locations, with three containers per site designated for paper, plastic, and glass recycling. The estimated value for this new procurement is 3.5 million euros, excluding VAT.

Mayor Tomislav Tomašević highlighted that these containers significantly improve the standard of municipal services and the appearance of public spaces. He noted that a single container for paper or plastic has a capacity equivalent to five standard 1,100-liter containers, while a glass container replaces three. This reduces the visual clutter and space occupied by traditional waste bins.

The project is part of a larger plan to eventually deploy over 2,000 semi-underground containers at 737 locations throughout the city. The total estimated cost for this comprehensive project is around 15 million euros, entirely funded by the city's budget. The first neighborhood fully equipped with these modern containers was Zapruđe. The procurement process is currently in the consultation phase before the official tender is released.

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By installing semi-underground containers, we are raising the standard of municipal services and the level of public space development. Containers for paper and plastic have a capacity of five cubic meters, meaning one such container replaces five classic 1,100-liter containers, while a container for glass replaces three. Instead of a former row of 13 bulky containers that marred the neighborhood's appearance and created mess, we now have three containers that take up significantly less space and fit better into the environment.