Croatia among the worst in waste management in the EU - 62 organizations sent a proposal of the solution to the Ministry

Waste Management Plan is an implementation document that will determine the manner of collection, treatment and disposal of waste in the Republic of Croatia for the period until 2021.

Past plan was in force until 2015 and the Croatian waste management system that has been among the worst in the EU for years must be immediately improved. In Croatia, only 15% of the total volume of waste is separated, by 2020, we are obliged to separate 50%, and in addition we have a number of other obligations relating to the reuse, recycling and reduction of waste disposal in landfills.

Proposal of the Plan which was referred to the public debate in September last year was based on the continuation of the old system in which it is necessary to produce large quantities of mixed waste to be transported across Croatia to expensive megalomaniac regional centers that would be segmented and then further transported to be incinerated in cement plants and waste incinerators. The coalition of associations 'Zero Waste Croatia' has warned in a detailed commentary that such a system will not meet the given obligations, and citizens will be put in a position to have to repay high penalties to the EU and live near plants that harm the environment and endanger their health.

The coalition expects from the Ministry to establish an effective system that takes care of the public interest and environmental protection. A thorough transformation of the system based on a number of key steps in waste management is required . These include:

• abandonment of the concept of regional centers for mixed waste and construction of waste incinerators and burning in cement plants that has been proven to be an expensive and harmful waste treatment system.
• a high quality system of measures that must be incorporated into the new waste management Plan:
  • opening centers for reuse,
  • the supply of public infrastructure for waste separation at the doorstep,
  • charging of waste management according to the actual amount of mixed waste produced
  • the construction of infrastructure for sorting, composting and recycling at the local level
  • an efficient waste prevention plan with measures like banning the distribution of free plastic bags, the establishment of effective national systems for donating food and a variety of educational campaigns that will stimulate citizens to decrease the amount of waste in the making.

We call on the Ministry to take into account the comments of citizens and to develop a Plan proposal based on these recommendations. Additionaly, to draft a new Strategic Plan study of the impact of the proposal on the environment which will be argumentative when making conclusions.These documents then have to be subjected to public consultation and include an Internet consulting and public exposure in major Croatian cities so that the interested public could be presented with the Plan proposal and the Strategic study of the impact on the enviroment.

Suggestion is signed by:

1. Friends of the Earth Croatia
2. Organisation for nature, enviroment and sustainable development Sunce
3. Green Istria (Zelena Istra)
4. ZEO Nobilis
5. Franjo Koščec
6. Eko Pan Karlovac
7. Organisation for the protection of nature and enviroment ZELENI OSIJEK
8. Ecological society of Slavonski Brod (BED)
9. Organisation BIOM
10. DOOR
11. Organisation "Eko-Zadar"
12. Green Action Mičevec
13. Birds of pray protection center GRIFON
14. Ecological Organisation EKO - EKO Komin
15. Eco organisation KOSINJ
16. Ecological society Koprivnica
17. Organisation Baobab
18. Ecological organisation Una
19. Organisation Žmergo
20. Ecological organisation Krka Knin
21. ECO-SOCIETY ZELENO ZAGORJE SVETI KRIŽ ZAČRETJE
22. Enviromental organisation Žumberak
23. Mažuran
24. Enviromental organisation Pineta
25. Organisation for ecology and culture Eia
26. Organisation for the protection of cultural and natural heritage of Stobreč EPETIUM
27. Eco Ombla
28. Eco Omblići
29. Friends of the Earth Stari Mikanovci
30. ED Lijepa naša-Zabok
31. Enviromental organisation EKO OROSLAVJE
32. Divina Natura
33. Enviromantal-touristic organisation Šolta
34. Organisation Pulentoda, ecological society of young initiative
35. Sustainable development organisation UZOR
36. Dalmatica Viva
37. Ecological organisation Izvor
38. Argonauta
39. ZELENI DAN
40. Rural development and ecology institute IRRE
41. EKOTURISTIKO
42. Ecological action of Lika LEA
43. Enviromental organisation Primošten
44. Sovinjak
45. Organisation Marjan
46. Eco Breza
47. Eco-organisation RAVNI KOTARI
48. Eco Zagreb
49. Citizen initiative Karepovac-drugo lice Splita
50. Citizen initiative Karlovac
51. Citizen initiative Koprivnica that we deserve
52. Crisis eco post Kaštelan
53. Crisis eco post Marišćina
54. Crisis eco post Varaždin
55. Crisis eco post Zagreb
56. Priroda i društvo
57. RAST Lećevica
58. Organisation "Enviroment" (Okoliš)
59. Organisation for enviromental protection Jakuševac
60. Organisation for enviromental protection Resnik
61. Zmajevac
62. Zvona Zagore