Leben made the announcement on Wednesday at the first in a series of debates the ministry plans to organise in the run-up to reform of the environment protection act, which also comes amidst heated debates about the current recycling system.

One of the biggest changes he announced was that all those who sell products in packaging would be liable for the packaging fee, though there would be a simplified reporting system for small sellers.

At present only companies that put more than 15 tonnes of packaging on the market annually are liable for the recycling fee, but this has created recurring disputes between trash utilities and privately-held recycling companies, the latter having repeatedly refused to process waste they are not paid for.

The dispute has always been resolved with stop-gap solutions, most recently with an emergency act adopted in December with which the state intervened by paying for the recycling.

"It has to be clear that we have to be held accountable for what gets put on the market," Leben said. He said one recycling company should be enough for Slovenia; there are currently six.

The minister is also personally in favour of building a waste incineration plant. "I want us to finally say yes or no," he said in reference to years of heated disputes in Slovenia over whether incineration is the right way to process waste.

Leben has been singled out by commentators as one of the most active ministers in the Marjan Šarec government, especially compared to several lacklustre environment ministers who preceded him.

He said today that he was a thorn in many people's side because he had been broaching difficult issues but would not be swayed.

"I'm going to continue tackling waste, which is big business in Slovenia, insist against fracking in Slovenia, and demand that sewage be built to the highest environmental standards," he said.