What it is
A fire at a legal landfill or an illegal dump can burn in the open or smoulder inside the waste mass. Citing MUP data, N1 reports 2,217 registered landfill fires in 2025 and more than 2,100 in 2024; it attributes the estimate of about six a day to UNEP research. Those figures describe the scale of the problem, not an identical smoke composition for every fire.
Why the smoke raises questions
In N1's report, Belgrade University Faculty of Chemistry professor Branimir Jovančićević says methane from decomposing waste can sustain a fire, while smouldering and incomplete combustion change the emissions mix. UNEP says open waste burning can release hazardous substances, including dioxins and furans. That is a general risk of mixed waste, not evidence that those substances were measured in smoke from any specific Serbian fire.
What monitoring can show
SEPA's national network displays current air-quality indicators, including PM10 and PM2.5. They help show the broader particle situation, but are not by themselves a chemical analysis of smoke from a particular landfill. Jovančićević says separate air, soil and water sampling around a fire is needed to assess organic pollutants. As of July 30, 2026, publicly available material does not include results from such targeted analysis.
What residents can do
For a visible fire, rapidly spreading smoke or immediate danger, call the fire service on 193 or the single emergency number 112. To follow conditions, open SEPA's air-quality map, remembering that its operational readings do not replace laboratory analysis of a particular plume. In Belgrade, a non-emergency municipal or inspection concern can go to the City Service Centre on 11011; the Environment Ministry accepts environmental-inspection reports through its form and inspection contacts.
Why it matters
For neighbours, drivers and people working nearby, smell and visibility are not the only relevant facts: it also matters what is burning and what has been measured. A PM reading is only part of the picture; it does not show the full makeup of the smoke. A particular fire should not be assigned pollutants without sampling and laboratory findings.
What could change the picture next
The key open question is whether the authorities will publish the location, response and targeted air, soil or water sampling results for a specific fire. Those data would distinguish general risks of burning waste from a confirmed situation in a particular area.