Croatian Parliament passed a law that will not solve waste problems

Although the Law brings an important ban on certain disposable plastic items that are major contaminants (light plastic bags, plastic straws, dishes and cutlery, ear sticks, etc.), which NGOs have been advocating for years, it is just a drop in the ocean of necessary solutions for the accumulated problems, and even then the ambition is only minimal because the problem of plastic waste is much bigger and the measures and goals should have been much more comprehensive.

The main problem is that the Law keeps a number of bad practices alive, and particularly concerning is the continued enforcement of expensive and harmful regional waste centers, as well as the unfair framework for calculating the price of the service. Due to these and similar provisions and the lack of ambition, a new decade of slow and insufficient progress awaits us, failure to meet the goals of reducing, reusing and recycling waste and the likely increase in the price of bills throughout Croatian cities and municipalities. In short, the Law represents a continued enrichment of individuals who are dealing with waste, to the detriment of the environment and the public interest.

NGOs and initiatives gathered in the Zero Waste Croatia network and the platform for the fight against plastic pollution will continue to fight for the improvement of Croatian legislation in accordance with environmental protection and the public interest.