Eight Cubic Meters of Waste Cleaned Up in Konavle
Following last weekend's traffic collapse, municipal services and volunteers have been working for days to repair the aftermath of kilometer-long queues toward Karasovići.
Following last weekend's traffic collapse, municipal services and volunteers have been working for days to repair the aftermath of kilometer-long queues toward Karasovići.
After Konavle was hit by kilometer-long vehicle queues toward the Karasovići border crossing last weekend, stretching all the way to Čilipi, a major cleanup operation followed. According to the Mayor of Konavle Municipality, Božo Lasić, more than eight cubic meters of waste left along the roads had been collected by Monday, and the remediation is still ongoing.
On Monday, August 3, 2026, Lasić confirmed that all available capacities of the municipal utility company Čistoća are in the field. "Čistoća's phones haven't stopped ringing. I ask everyone for patience because our capacities are stretched to the maximum. Over eight cubic meters of garbage has already been collected, and the work continues," the Mayor said.
Čistoća workers first started removing waste in the Vitaljina area. After that, the work expanded to the Adriatic Highway, where remediation will be carried out in cooperation with the patrol service to keep the road safe for all traffic participants.
In addition to municipal workers, the Mayor highlighted several examples of human solidarity that marked the difficult moments. Young people from Vitaljina distributed water to passengers who had been waiting in queues for hours. Don Petar Marković, along with volunteers, prepared sandwiches, and numerous locals opened their yards offering shade and help.
"Yesterday proved once again that there are many more of those who don't seek blame or political points, but simply stand up and help," Lasić emphasized.
The Mayor extended special thanks to the Civil Protection Headquarters of Konavle Municipality, the Public Fire Brigade of Konavle Municipality, the county fire chief Stjepan Simović, and police officers who spent hours directing traffic and calming passengers in high temperatures.
He particularly drew attention to the workers of Čistoća, who he believes often go unnoticed. "While we talk about tourism and the season in summer, they work in the scorching heat among large amounts of waste and unpleasant odors. These are our neighbors and fellow townspeople who do a hard, responsible, and honorable job every day," he pointed out.
Concluding his review of the past weekend, Lasić said: "Yesterday, chaos did not win. People, solidarity, and responsibility won. Konavle won."
