Gospić waste scandal: PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ found in groundwater at illegal site

Gospić (Screenshot/HRT)

GOSPIĆ, Croatia, 7 August 2026 – An environmental scandal involving an illegal waste site in Gospić has deepened after expert findings confirmed contamination of soil and groundwater and the presence of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ downstream from the site.

The findings, commissioned by Croatia’s anti-corruption and organised crime prosecutor’s office USKOK, relate to an industrial complex at Bilajska 50, where around 37,000 tonnes of waste have been identified.

The expert assessment was prepared by the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Zagreb. It found significant quantities of mixed industrial waste, including material from the processing of electronic and medical waste, plastics and other treated waste fractions.

Almost 33,000 tonnes are believed to be buried, with the waste mixed with soil to such an extent that separation is no longer considered possible.

Testing identified elevated concentrations of substances including copper, zinc, lead and antimony, while some of the waste was classified as hazardous and ecotoxic. Microplastics and other contaminants were also detected. Copper reached almost 10,000 mg/kg, close to 100 times the legal limit, while lead was measured at more than 1,000 mg/kg, around ten times the permitted level.

The assessment found that contamination had affected the soil at and around the site, with pollutants able to move through seepage and infiltration, airborne particles, microplastics, vegetation and potentially through connections with groundwater.

Further investigations confirmed the impact of the illegally deposited waste on groundwater downstream from the site, including the presence of PFAS compounds, commonly known as ‘forever chemicals’ because of their persistence in the environment.

PFAS concentrations reached 200.5 nanograms per litre, twice the Croatian and European threshold of 100 ng/l for water intended for human consumption.

The affected groundwater is not part of the public drinking water supply, authorities have said.

Experts concluded that the site represents a locally significant and progressive environmental impact and that, without remediation, it could remain a continuing source of pollution with a potential for further spread.

USKOK targeted a criminal ring suspected of illegal waste management across multiple regions, including Gospić, Varaždin and Benkovac.

The civic initiative Gospić je naš dom (Gospić Is Our Home) has called for immediate remediation, permanent monitoring of soil and groundwater and accountability for those responsible.

The Gospić waste problem has also previously drawn attention from Croatia’s highest political office. During a visit to Gospić in July 2025, President Zoran Milanović described the illegal dumping of large quantities of plastic and medical waste at the abandoned industrial complex as a criminal act that must have consequences.

He said those responsible should be found and punished under the law, while stressing that such a case must not happen again.

The Croatian Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund is considering four possible remediation options for the buried waste.

These include sealing the site with a waterproof cover, estimated at €2–3 million; excavating and transporting the waste to a hazardous waste facility abroad, estimated at €20–25 million; incineration abroad, which could cost €100–125 million; and stabilisation of the waste, estimated at €10–15 million, HRT reported.

Croatia does not currently have a hazardous waste landfill capable of receiving the material. Authorities are therefore examining options abroad, while tenders are being prepared for the removal of approximately 4,500 tonnes of hazardous and 650 tonnes of non-hazardous waste.

Environment Minister Marija Vučković has said the ministry will present its preferred remediation model by the end of September.

The civic initiative has criticised what it describes as delayed and uncoordinated action by institutions and has called for responsibility to be established throughout the chain, from those who brought and buried the waste to those responsible for permits, supervision and responses to citizens’ complaints.

The case remains subject to criminal proceedings, which are not public.