The situation with the garbage in Skopje. Court of its capital North Macedonia decided yesterday (28.10.2025) on pre-trial detention for a period of 30 days against the head of the municipal Cleaning Service of the city and another official of the service.
The two arrested are accused of causing danger to public health and the environment of the capital of North Macedonia, the Skopjewhich according to residents, have turned into a “vast wasteland».
In many areas – even in the center of Skopje – garbage trucks either do not pass at all or carry out sporadic collections. As a result, huge volumes of garbage have accumulated almost everywhere, attracting rats and increasing the concern of residents and health authorities.
New video of rats described “as big as cat” who set up a colony next the national government in Skopje.
While citizens blame political parties in power for orchestrating the Garbage Crisis, medical institutions warn about danger from epidemics.pic.twitter.com/9ScEj7K3oG— Macedonia in English (@Macedonia_en) October 25, 2025
The responsible municipal agency has not yet given convincing explanations for the reasons for the non-collection. However, workers in the Cleaning Service complain of delays in the payment of their salaries, while they report that a large part of the garbage truck fleet has been put out of service due to breakdowns.
Skopje garbage crisis continues. VMRO-DPMNE officials claimed they will start cleaning the garbage after the local elections, if the citizens vote for them again. pic.twitter.com/q4HhkJUBrr
— Macedonia in English (@Macedonia_en) October 22, 2025
The municipal agency is responsible for cleanliness in the city of Skopje, which, however, does not give any convincing explanation why the garbage trucks do not circulate in the city and do not collect the garbage.
The political rivalry between Daniela Arsofska and Christian Mickoski
The Prosecutor’s Office has ordered a preliminary investigation to verify the commission of a possible offense on the part of the Cleaning Service of the Municipality of Skopje and the outgoing mayor of Skopje herself, Daniela Arsofska.
The latter was elected mayor of Skopje in the last municipal elections of 2021 with the support of the current ruling party VMRO-DPMNE. However, she later came into sharp conflict with the party that supported her, as well as its leader, Christian Mickoskiwho is also the Prime Minister of North Macedonia.
He and VMRO-DPMNE now blame her Arsofska for complete inadequacy and inability to meet its basic obligations to the citizens of Skopje – a city of approximately 550,000 inhabitants. For her part, Arsofska blames VMRO-DPMNE and himself Mickoski for systematic obstruction of its work, due to which, the cleaning service, as it claims, has not been working as it should for over three years.
The Garbage Crisis continues, new video footage shows Vardar river overflowing with thrash. The garbage is not generated only in Skopje, but also coming from direction of Tetovo and Jegunovce.pic.twitter.com/Q3tl4pD2PC
— Macedonia in English (@Macedonia_en) October 27, 2025
Elections amid garbage
The citizens of Skopje are outraged by the situation that has arisen due to the huge volumes of garbage throughout the city and report that the capital of the country has turned into a “huge garbage dump”.
While the local elections are going on, in the capital of North Macedonia, there is garbage at every turn. In a city with more than half a million inhabitants, the competent municipal company does not take away the garbage regularly. They do not provide answers to citizens and the media. pic.twitter.com/aJGnrYdYru
— Radio Free Europe (@RSE_Balkan) October 22, 2025
The issue has now become a central theme of the election campaign, ahead of the second round of municipal elections, which will be held on Sunday, November 2.
In it, in the capital of Skopje, the VMRO-DPMNE candidate will face off, Orze Georgievsky and the candidate of the anti-system far-left party “Levica” (Left), Amar Metsinovich. In the first round of the municipal elections, on October 19, Giorgievsky received 39.42%, while Mečinović, who made the surprise move to the second round, collected 13.18%.