The Skopje municipality of Butel is placing new waste containers at several locations, with the aim, as they put it, of a cleaner, tidier and healthier environment. "We are increasing the number of places where our citizens can throw away their waste so that illegal dumps don't form. We hear the voice of our citizens, we solve problems and we are changing the image of Butel Municipality," said mayor Darko Kostovski.

The goal is the right one: an illegal dump usually starts wherever the nearest bin is too far away or permanently overflowing. But the press release doesn't say how many containers have been placed, at which locations, or how often they will be emptied. Without that, "we are changing the image" is a photo op, not a plan.

A new bin is worth exactly as much as the truck that comes to empty it. If Butel wants residents to be able to check whether anything is really changing, the next press release could start with a number. How many new containers - and how many fewer illegal dumps?