A new waste-management system will ensure significantly less household, recyclable and biodegradable waste is taken to landfills in the counties of Zadar and Lika-Senj in Croatia. The aim is to achieve a cleaner environment by respecting the waste hierarchy and reducing carbon emissions. This will contribute to Croatia’s compliance with its national policy, EU legislation and the requirements of its Accession Treaty.
Croatia enjoys a cleaner environment thanks to new waste-management system in Zadar and Lika-Senj counties
- 11 May 2020
The project area covers eight towns and 33 municipalities in Zadar county and the southern half of Lika-Senj county. This corresponds to about 12 % of Croatia’s total surface area, serving a population of about 195 000 people. Economic activity in these counties mainly involves tourism and SMEs.
The waste-management centre to be built will include a facility – with a capacity of about 75 000 tonnes/year – for producing solid residual fuel (SRF) from mixed municipal waste. The SRF will be incinerated in a cement kiln in Split, according to an agreement the beneficiary has with cement producer Cemex.
Also included are a 7 500 tonnes/year facility, where green waste will be composted, and a site for processing construction and demolition waste, with a 15 000 tonnes/year capacity.
In addition, two landfills will be used to dispose of non-hazardous waste (40 000 m3/year) and inert waste (20 000 m3/year).
Four transfer stations plus equipment – eight vehicles and 40 containers – capable of processing 31 000 tonnes of waste/year will be built and acquired. Three of the stations will be EU co-financed: Biograd na Moru (11 000 tonnes/year), Pag-Povljana (7 500 tonnes/year) and Gračac (5 000 tonnes/year). The fourth, Gospić-Rakitovac (7 500 tonnes/year) will be financed nationally.
Other items include security infrastructure, roads, lighting, landscaping, a weighbridge, administration facilities and a workshop and garage for equipment maintenance.
Less waste on landfills
Currently, the waste management system does not entirely meet the required standards: waste is not pretreated, and recyclable and biodegradable waste are not separated. This results in non-compliance with the waste hierarchy and substantial greenhouse gas emissions.
The project will contribute to Croatia’s compliance with the EU’s Waste Framework Directive by ensuring separate collection of paper, plastic, metal and glass. This is expected to yield about 25 000 tonnes/year of recyclable material. In addition, 15 000 tonnes/year of construction waste will be recycled.
Overall, the aim is to reduce municipal waste taken to landfills by over 60 %, from 97 900 tonnes in 2012 to 35 970 tonnes by 2023.
According to Croatia’s Accession Treaty, the country must reduce the amount of biodegradable waste taken to landfills to 35 % of 1997 levels by December 2020. This will be achieved by encouraging people to produce compost at home, composting collected green waste, and producing SRF.
Socio-economic benefits
The project will create jobs in the waste-management sector and contribute to better living conditions by reducing unpleasant smells, sights and health risks caused by inadequately treated waste. Consequently, it will help to make the region more attractive to tourists.
Mixed municipal waste from all 41 municipalities in the project area will be delivered to the waste-management centre to ensure maximum use of the project facilities. The City of Zadar will supply the beneficiary with park and garden waste.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Waste Management Centre (WMC) Biljane Donje” is EUR 83 028 700, with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 48 791 698 through the “Competitiveness and Cohesion” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Preservation and protection of the environment and promotion of resource efficiency”.