Ecological inspection carried out 1,024 checks in 20 months: irregularities in every third case

Around a third of waste-management checks ended with irregularities being found over the last 20 months, the Directorate for Inspection Affairs told the newspaper Vijesti. Montenegro’s Ecological Inspection carried out a total of 1,024 inspections during 2025 and the first eight months of 2026, while irregularities were found in 299 cases.

The balance of measures taken includes 208 decisions ordering the elimination of irregularities, 25 fines with a total value of 27,500 euros and 11 requests for misdemeanour proceedings. In 91 other cases, the inspectors limited themselves to warning the entities. During 2025, 696 inspections were carried out, and from January to the end of August 2026 another 328.

The most checks were carried out in Podgorica (208), Nikšić (128) and Pljevlja (105); followed by Berane (66), Ulcinj (56), Bar and Rožaje (50 each), Danilovgrad (45), Kotor (44), Zeta (43), Herceg Novi (38) and Bijelo Polje (42). Eighty-two initiatives were forwarded to other bodies, as the Ecological Inspection was not competent for them.

Deadlines for eliminating irregularities are set case by case — usually up to 30 days when the irregularity is eliminated with a warning — while procedures take longer when the entity appeals. With the recent amendments to the Law on Misdemeanours, the statute of limitations has been extended from two to four years.

Importantly, the Ecological Inspection is not responsible for most illegal dumps — those are municipal and construction waste, which fall under the competence of municipal, state and local inspections. The Ecological Inspection controls only hazardous, industrial and special waste, while illegal dumps result mainly from the irregular disposal of municipal and construction waste.