Croatia’s Krk is world’s second zero waste island

Krk in Croatia has become the world’s second island with a zero waste certificate. The first one was Tilos in Greece.

Seven municipalities on Krk island – Krk, Baška, Dobrinj, Malinska-Dubašnica, Omišalj, Punat, and Vrbnik have been awarded the prestigious Zero Waste certification, presented to Europe’s most successful cities and municipalities, Zero Waste Europe said.

The certification was approved by Zero Waste Europe (Mission Zero Academy) in recognition of outstanding achievements in sustainable waste management.

In 2021, through collaboration between Krk’s municipal waste management company Ponikve and the national coordinator for the Zero Waste certification Zero Waste Croatia, the island became a candidate for accreditation.

Krk has achieved the first out of five tiers in the Zero Waste certificate

At the time, local authorities vowed to analyze the composition of mixed municipal waste, introduce volume-based payment, stimulate a reduction in waste generation and an increase in reuse, establish an expert council for waste management and promote home composting, all within five years.

Mission Zero Academy’s auditors conducted the final evaluation.

The implementation of waste management processes in line with the certificate was built upon an already successful waste collection and disposal system. According to Zero Waste Europe, there is room for further progress as Krk has achieved only the first out of five tiers in the Zero Waste certificate.

The municipalities built the necessary infrastructure for effective local waste management

Despite significant pressures related to tourism during the summer months, the municipalities on Krk have achieved a 58% rate of separate waste collection and 22% less mixed waste per capita than the national average. The local authorities on the island rolled out educational and waste reduction measures and built the necessary infrastructure for effective local waste management including a sorting facility, a composting plant, and seven recycling centers.

The results greatly contribute to the high quality of life on the island, residents said in a survey this year, Zero Waste Europe added. Krk plans to further improve waste management.

Jurešić: Recognition of our long-standing efforts

Ana Golja from the Slovenian organization Ekologi brez meja, an accredited MiZA auditor, invited other Croatian and European municipal authorities as well as entities in the tourism sector to follow Krk’s example.

“The Zero Waste certification is a recognition of our long-standing efforts to improve the waste management system and a motivation to continue working toward the highest possible quality of life and environmental protection on our island,” said Ponikve manager and coordinator for the implementation of Krk’s Zero Waste plan Ivan Jurešić.

Marko Košak from Zero Waste Croatia, coordinator of the country’s Zero Waste municipal network, stressed that Ponikve and the island’s residents are proving that even in challenging tourist areas, excellent results in waste management can be achieved. “We continue to take big steps forward, setting an example for other tourist regions in Croatia and Europe,” he added.