23.09.2024.
At the waste management conference organised by the magazine Komunal, representatives of the Fund outlined the many programmes that can be used to co-finance utility infrastructure for local self-government units and their utility companiesWelcoming the participants of the conference, the waste project manager Saša Pupovac emphasised that the Fund was always open to dialogue. He pointed out the continuous financial assistance offered to utility companies to strengthen their infrastructure and procure containers and various devices they need to adequately provide utility services to citizens.
Pupovac also presented landfill remediation programmes saying that in the past Croatia had 301 active landfills, which were gradually remediated and closed, so today there were 75 still active ones. Financial resources for their remediation were provided through the Environmental Protection Fund and under EU operational programs. In total, the state invested 131.6 million euros in these projects. "The tendency is for other landfills to be gradually remediated and closed, in accordance with the dynamics of buidling waste management centres. For local self-government units that accept waste from other cities and municipalities, the Fund has provided up to 90% of co-financing for remediation projects," said Pupovac.
Speaking about investments in the utility infrastructure, the director of the Split waste management company Ivica Karoglan, and the director of Ponikve Krk, Ivan Jurešić, praised the programmes implemented by the Fund, and additionally referred to the excellent cooperation that utility companies have with the Fund.
The director of Bikarac Waste Management Centre, Robert Podrug, pointed out that without the help of the relevant ministry and the Fund, the City of Šibenik would not be able to plan the construction of the first cogeneration plant, in which waste and sludge will be converted into heat and electricity. Through the Fund, the Government of the Republic of Croatia secured the financing of project documentation with 100%, and it is currently in the procurement phase.
Head of the Fund's Sector for EU Funds, Maja Feketić, pointed out that RDF was a valuable resource that should be utilised instead of paying a high price its disposal. That is why, says Feketić, the Fund supports the project in Bikarac. "It will be the first integral waste management centre, which will include all components of circular management seeing as waste will become a new source of energy," said Feketić. She also commented on the dynamics of the construction of waste management centres. "There are 11 centres planned in Croatia, 4 of which have been built. The waste management centres Piškornica, Lećevica, Babina gora and Lučino razdolje are in various phases of construction, while Orlovnjak, Šagulje as well as the City of Zagreb WMC are in the design stage. This year, in addition to EU co-financing, the Fund has provided 42 million euros of national funding for this purpose.”
The participants of the conference agreed that progress in waste management was evident, but it was also necessary to continue investing in infrastructure and education, so that by 2035 only 10% of processed municipal waste would be landfilled.
