Hungarian Disaster Management Authority Takes Over Waste Collection
- 1 Nov 2018 12:52 PM
- Hungary Matters
The disaster management authority took over the coordination of waste management in 116 villages in the central and northern Hungarian counties of Pest and Nógrád, a state secretary of the interior ministry said.
Collection of household waste has resumed after a two-day pause in the villages in question, the non-profit contracted for the task, Zöld Híd, said in a statement.
State Secretary Tibor Pogácsás said the government’s utility cuts programme has ended companies’ practice to “raise [waste collection] fees at their hearts’ content”, requiring rationalisation within the companies.
On Tuesday, the government regrouped 26.4 billion forints (EUR 81.3m) to fund waste management, the official gazette Magyar Közlöny showed.
József Gál, a Budapest councillor of opposition LMP, slammed the measure as “a one-off injection instead of comprehensive measures”. “A viable waste management system would require 30 to 40 billion forints of additional funds,” he said.
The utility cost cuts are a “scam”, Gál said, and argued that people pay for the high waste collection costs through a 27% VAT and other taxes.
Photo: FKF Zrt.
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