Croatia seeks European facilities to dispose of hazardous waste from Gospić

Croatian Minister of Environmental Protection and Green Transition Marija Vučković said that two public procurement procedures are currently underway regarding the remediation and disposal of hazardous waste in Gospić, while new inquiries about accepting the waste have also been sent to a number of addresses across Europe.

Vučković noted that Croatia does not have a hazardous waste landfill or a waste-to-energy plant, making the search for facilities abroad a logical course of action, CE Report quotes HINA.

Asked what message she had for residents of Gospić who are wondering what happens next, Vučković said they should wait and see whether companies will express interest in the two ongoing public procurement procedures.

Regarding the buried waste, which has been a particular source of concern, she said the public has every reason to be worried, adding that she is also concerned about other so-called “black spots” in karst areas.

“There is a risk that, in addition to the local pollution that is already present, which we have discussed before, contamination could spread more rapidly. That is all true. We are working on all these sites,” Vučković said.

As for the buried waste, she said several options are being considered and that inquiries about accepting the hazardous waste had already been sent abroad at the end of July.

“On July 28, we sent inquiries to 15 addresses abroad about the possibility of accepting this hazardous waste because Croatia does not have a hazardous waste landfill and does not have a waste-to-energy plant, and that is the logical course of action,” she said.

She added that new inquiries were sent to additional addresses on Saturday.

“In the meantime, we found a number of additional addresses in Europe, and this morning new inquiries were sent based on the latest findings published by the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering. Today, we sent additional inquiries to 32 incineration plants and 30 hazardous waste landfills,” Vučković said.

She stressed that, as agreed, citizens would be informed about the option authorities recommend after analyzing the possible solutions for the buried waste.

“We are doing everything possible,” Vučković said.

Photo Croatian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition