The company meant to keep Skopje clean simply can't keep itself running. According to a report by the State Audit Office, a full 60 percent of the fleet of PE "Komunalna Higiena - Skopje" is out of service - of 189 special utility vehicles in total, only 76 are roadworthy, 80 are faulty, and 33 are complete write-offs.

The average age of the vehicles is 15 years, and the auditors issued an adverse opinion on both the financial statements and the legality of operations. In other words - this isn't one bad indicator, it's a systemic collapse. A company running 24/7 for a city of a million people with a fleet like this isn't on the edge of crisis; it's already in it.

The financial picture is darker still. Receivables worth around 2 million euros have reduced or uncertain collectability, some spare parts were bought back in 2009 and are obsolete, and there is also property not recorded at all in the Central Registry. And here comes the detail that stings most: in 2024 the company hired 354 people through a private agency, at a cost of over 3 million euros - and that because no annual hiring plan had been put in place.

So the money exists - just not for trucks. Three million euros for agency workers, while the fleet falls apart. This is exactly what an audit is supposed to bring to light: not just that something doesn't work, but why. When a public company spends millions on agency hires while 113 vehicles sit out of use, the question isn't whether there's money, but where that money goes - and who answers for the priorities. Skopje's residents see the result every morning on their own street. The question is whether anyone is even planning to change it.