Slovaks don’t separate their trash, says minister

Slovaks lack the motivation to separate their household waste, states Environment Minister László Sólymos (Most-Híd). "Residents don't believe that when they separate their waste it results in lower fees for communal waste, so it's more convenient to dump everything into a black container," he said in an interview with TASR. The situation has therefore resulted in a change to the law on waste levies, which will see landfill fees raised as of 2019. Slovakia has the lowest landfill fees among European countries, stated Sólymos. In most countries, this fee ranges from €20 to €100 per tonne of landfill waste, while in Slovakia it is €5. Despite an increase in landfill fees, he believes legislation is not enough when people are not economically motivated to sort their trash. According to Sólymos, only those who are concerned about the environment sort and recycle their household waste.