Jelgava County council rejects residents’ demands over waste service

Jelgava County Council has rejected residents’ requests to review waste collection fees, audit the service and hold an open tender, LSM reported. About 700 people in Ozolnieki signed a collective submission to the council after months of complaints about waste management.

The dispute began in the summer, when the municipality-owned company Jelgavas novada KU replaced Clean R from July 1 as the waste manager in Ozolnieki, Cenu and Salgale parishes. During the transition, residents complained about missing bins, collection schedules and communication. Some remain dissatisfied with the service.

The fee in the three parishes rose by about 20% from July, reaching 38.5 euros per cubic metre before value-added tax. Residents say they are unhappy with the price-to-quality ratio and the way the service provider was chosen. They have also asked for an explanation of how the tariff was calculated and said they cannot arrange collection of bulky waste.

The council discussed the submission on Wednesday after postponing consideration in August. Opposition councillor Dainis Krūmiņš of New Unity proposed an alternative resolution calling for a detailed breakdown of the fee and answers to residents’ questions.

The municipality defended its decision to assign the service to its wholly owned company, citing rising fuel and energy costs. The submission’s demands were not supported by the council.

Tags: Jelgava County, waste management, local government