The Zlatibor mountain resort, in Čajetina has been experienced an increase in  — arrivals. With more than one million overnight stays in 2025, the city had sometimes more than additional 55,000 tourists for a city which resident population is 15,000 people. This put enormous pressure in the waste collection system: overflowing  waste containers, generating bad odor and pest complaints. The municipality’s response was to remove street containers altogether and give every household, hotel, restaurant and public building its own chip-enabled recycling and mixed-waste bins.

Garbage trucks now carry cameras that check the sorting of waste before collection, letting crews optimize routes, plan operations and respond to complaints far faster than before. Results are strongest at the household level, where sorting quality is particularly high. The city is working together with  residents, schools and the hospitality sector to respond to the challenge.