The EU has secured 3.6 billion kuna for waste separation – by 2020, half must be separated

In order to approach the realization of the commitments undertaken to separately collect and recycle 50% of waste paper, metal, plastic, and glass in the Republic of Croatia by 2020, the Minister of Environment and Energy, Dr. sc. Tomislav Ćorić, and his associates visited all counties in the Republic of Croatia in the first six months of this year, where they met with about five hundred leaders of local self-government units.

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At the working meetings attended by mayors, heads, prefects, and experts from the Ministry, the current situation in the field of waste management was assessed, and activities were undertaken to accelerate and realize the obligations arising from the Regulation, i.e., the Law on Sustainable Waste Management. It was emphasized that the Ministry of Environment and Energy has adopted the necessary regulations and is securing co-financing for the infrastructure needed for waste separation through EU funds. The total allocation available is 475 million EUR, or 3.6 billion HRK.

Specifically, a public call for the construction and equipping of recycling yards worth 214.5 million kuna is currently underway. So far, 76 financing decisions have been made, and 22 decisions are in the approval process. Furthermore, there is a tender worth 250 million kuna for the procurement of containers.

Considering that as of January 1, 2019, it will no longer be possible to dispose of waste in landfills as we know them today and that landfills must be rehabilitated and ultimately closed, EU funds have also been secured for this purpose. An expression of interest for the procurement of vehicles is currently underway, with a public call for EU co-financing expected to be announced in September. A tender for the construction of sorting facilities, separate waste collection, and processing of separately collected bio-waste is also expected to be announced soon.

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In addition to investments in infrastructure, 47.2 million kuna has been secured for educational and informational activities. So far, 78 applications have been received, which will affect about 2 million people.

In the past year, public calls worth 1,148,239,075 have been announced, confirming 2018 as the year of infrastructure construction for the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

Eligible applicants for these public calls are municipalities and cities whose leaders recognized the benefits of the working meetings held, which, as they themselves emphasize, brought them closer to the possibility of drawing non-repayable funds.

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To complete the system, Minister Ćorić made decisions on co-financing the preparatory documentation for three waste management centers – Šagulje, Orlovljak, and Zagreb, for which 51 million kuna has been secured. The decisions made have affected 1,928,785 residents in the areas of Brod-Posavina, Požega-Slavonia, Osijek-Baranja, Vukovar-Srijem, Zagreb, and parts of Sisak-Moslavina County, as well as the City of Zagreb.