Almina Turajlić, representative of the informal citizens’ group “Together for a Clean Opličići”, and Jasmin Šuta, president of the Local Community Opličići, held a meeting today with the Mayor of Čapljina, Iva Raguž, and the Director of the Public Utility Company Čapljina, Ante Maslać. Mayor Raguž emphasized that the City Administration will do everything in its power to systematically resolve the issue of municipal waste collection in the Opličići Local Community. In parallel with this process, efforts will be made in the shortest possible time to clean up around ten existing illegal landfills in the area.

It is important to note that members of the informal citizens’ group “Together for a Clean Opličići” recently conducted a survey among residents of the Opličići Local Community. The results showed that over 90% of residents expressed their desire for a systematic solution to the problem of municipal waste collection in their community. Following the survey, a community assembly was held in Opličići, where more than 50 signatures were collected from residents. Afterward, representatives of the citizens’ group and the local leadership submitted an official initiative to Mayor Raguž, requesting a systematic solution to the waste collection problem. Today’s meeting represents a positive and constructive response from the Mayor of Čapljina to that initiative. Further steps have been agreed upon, which will be taken by the City leadership in cooperation with the Public Utility Company Čapljina, related to finalizing decisions concerning the city’s utility services.

Although the Opličići Local Community is only about 10 kilometers from the center of Čapljina, it is only now on the path to resolving its decades-long issue of systematic municipal waste collection. Additionally, the presence of about ten illegal dumping sites has long threatened the quality of life of residents, as they are located near agricultural land, family homes, the Bregava River, and nearby roads. The situation is particularly critical in the summer when irresponsible individuals burn waste, releasing harmful particles into the air and posing a health risk to residents, along with a justified fear of large-scale fires.

“We are extremely satisfied with today’s meeting. In line with the adopted conclusions, we are encouraged by the promise that the issue of a systematic waste collection solution and other utility-related decisions will be included on the agenda of one of the upcoming sessions of the Čapljina City Council. We are glad that the local government has shown interest in finally resolving the long-standing problems faced by the residents of the Opličići Local Community regarding municipal waste collection,” stated Almina Turajlić, representative of the informal citizens’ group “Together for Opličići.”