Environment Minister Tomislav Ćorić stated on Monday that 2018 will be the year of creating infrastructure for effective waste management, which he marked as a priority of his ministry.
“The construction of waste management centers has no alternative, regardless of the goals we have in the context of waste management. For a more beautiful Croatia, we must do everything,” Ćorić stated in Dubrovnik after a meeting with the Dubrovnik-Neretva County Governor Nikola Dobroslavić and county mayors and chiefs. He announced that a good part of the infrastructure in the southernmost county will be established by the end of 2018.
Ćorić: At the local level, everything possible is being done
“We wanted to inform local leaders about our plans and tenders that have already been or will soon be announced with the aim of creating infrastructure for separation at the household level, building recycling yards, informational and educational activities, and building sorting facilities, where the tender will be in May. A large part of this is co-financed from EU funds, usually 85 percent. We received feedback that everything possible is being done at the local level. We want to enable them to acquire everything they need to achieve the goal of 50 percent separated municipal waste by 2023 at the national level,” the minister said.
>>>Ćorić: No increase in electricity, gas, and water prices in 2018.
He also stated that a feasibility study for the Waste Management Center in Lučino Razdolje is underway, which should be completed in the next month and a half or two.
Governor Dobroslavić emphasized that it was determined at the meeting that the county is somewhere at the national average regarding waste sorting. “The construction of a waste management center is the only solution for the county. The dynamics of project realization is going well. The final deadline for realization is 2023, and our estimate is that it can be completed by 2021,” he noted.
The meeting also discussed the Upper Horizons project as a permanent problem for the county, the exploration of hydrocarbons in the Montenegrin seabed, as well as the inflow of waste from Montenegro and Albania.
About waste from Montenegro and Albania: We have ideas and neighbors can expect help from us
“The scenes we witnessed in Dubrovnik, but also in earlier phases, we want to avoid in the future, that is, do everything to prevent them. That is why we have contacted colleagues from Montenegro and Albania. We are together faced with the problem, part of which is generated by the fact that there have been no joint actions so far. The meeting on Tuesday in Dubrovnik will help us reach conclusions towards joint action. We have some ideas, and our neighbors can expect help from us,” Minister Ćorić emphasized.
Governor Dobroslavić agreed that the meeting with ministers from neighboring countries is a good path, stating that today’s meeting also discussed the financing of waste removal works from the sea.
