Photo, Location, Date: Young Lawyers Are Collecting Evidence of Uncollected Rubbish to Demand an Inspection

The Macedonian Young Lawyers Association (MYLA) is launching an initiative that sounds simple but says a lot about how institutions work: citizens are to document places with uncollected municipal waste, and the association, based on the evidence, will file a request for an inspection.

MYLA says uncollected rubbish is an everyday sight - on the way to work, in front of apartment buildings and near schools. A report should include a photo or video, the exact location and the date and time it was taken. It can be sent by private message to the association or by email to [email protected].

This isn't their first time. During 2025 the association requested an extraordinary inspection over inadequate waste collection in Skopje. After repeated communication with the City Inspectorate, misdemeanour payment orders were issued to the public enterprise "Komunalna Higiena" and its director.

"You show us where the problem is. We'll demand inspection and measures," the association says. The message is a good one. But when citizens and lawyers have to map the rubbish themselves for the inspectorate to react, the real question is whose job that should have been from the very start.