€11.7m cleanup of illegal waste sites begins

(Photo: Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition)

ZAGREB, 22 September 2026 – Croatia has selected contractors for the removal and treatment of around 13,200 tonnes of illegally dumped waste at two sites in Poznanovec, while separate work is continuing on waste stored at a former industrial site in Gospić.

The Croatian Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund announced on 21 September that the consortium of SAUBERMACHER-TS and EKO-FLOR PLUS had been selected for the Poznanovec clean-up.

The value of the selected bid is €11.7 million excluding VAT.

The clean-up is expected to take 18 months.

The waste at the two Poznanovec locations includes plastic, packaging waste, tyres and mixed waste generated through mechanical processing. Some of the mixed material may contain hazardous components.

The selected contractor will be responsible for removing and appropriately treating or recovering the waste.

The project forms part of wider efforts to address sites where large quantities of waste have accumulated outside the regular waste-management system.

A separate operation is under way at the former PPK Velebit site in Gospić, where significant quantities of waste have been stored.

The Gospić site has attracted particular attention because of the different types and quantities of material involved.

Earlier this month, the Croatian government ordered urgent removal and treatment of around 650 tonnes of non-hazardous waste from the Gospić location.

Around 325 tonnes are due to be sent to the NEXE cement plant in Našice for recovery in the industrial process, while another portion is being handled through a separate arrangement.

Authorities have said the material destined for Našice is subject to checks before transport and additional controls upon arrival.

The Poznanovec project is considerably larger in volume, involving more than 13,000 tonnes of illegally deposited material.

The Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund said the selected contractor will remove and properly manage the waste over the planned 18-month period.

The projects highlight the scale and cost of dealing with accumulated waste once it has been illegally or improperly deposited.

Croatia’s environmental authorities have increasingly focused on the removal of old waste sites while also developing new regional waste-management infrastructure.