EU funding recycling yards in Croatia with EUR 19.4 million

Croatian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy announced the first public call for waste management projects to be co-financed from EU funds. The grant worth EUR 19.4 million will be used for the construction of recycling yards.

In January 2017. Croatian government adopted a 5-year Waste Management Plan. That document was a precondition for obtaining the funding from the European Union for the implementation of operational plan “Competition and Cohesion”.

Minister of Environmental Protection and Energy Slaven Dobrović said that the projects for the construction of recycling yards will be carried out by local authorities:

“We are moving towards practical implementation of the Waste Management Plan. We have provided EUR 19.4 million for recycling yards. Many cities and municipalities are already ready. More than 70 projects have their paper-work prepared, so they can apply immediately.”

Croatia to reach separation rate of 50% by 2020

The public call for co-financing recycling yards has been announced on March 29, and it will remain open until all the funds are used. Users will be able to co-finance projects up to 85% of its value, and maximum amount for one project is EUR 600.000.

The construction of recycling yards include construction work, installation of equipment, surveillance, technical assistance for project management and organization of informative and educational activities. Ministry in charge emphasizes that functional recycling yards are the key elements of communal waste management, because they provide separate collection of problematic waste, as well as paper waste, metal, glass, plastic, textile and bulky communal waste.

Ministry’s goal is to increase the separation rate of collected communal waste and to reduce the quantity of waste dumped at the landfills. According to the EU’s Waste Framework Directive, Croatia is expected to reach a separation rate of 50% by 2020, including glass, plastic, paper and metal.

Minister Dobrović announced that other public calls will follow soon: “By the end of April we will open a public call for the rehabilitation of communal waste landfills. We are also preparing calls for sorting and composting and communal equipment. With that, we will move towards circular economy, reduce waste production and significantly increase recycling rates and fulfill EU’s recycling goals. This will also contribute to the economic development and creation of new jobs, especially in the recycling industry”.

It is estimated that in 2014., Croatia’s waste recycling rate was 16%. In that year EU’s average recycling rate was 44%, and the goal is to reach 50% by 2030.