Waste

World Bank to help Croatia improve waste management, switch to circular economy

croatia-world-bank-waste-management-circular-economy

Photo: Tomislav Ćorić and Elisabetta Capannelli (Twitter/World Bank)

Published

September 30, 2020

Country

Comments

comments icon

0

Share

Published:

September 30, 2020

Country:

Comments:

comments icon

0

Share

Croatia, lagging behind on European Union’s waste prevention targets, will receive support from the World Bank to transform its solid waste management system and incorporate circular economy approaches into its post-2022 National Waste Management Plan.

An agreement under which the World Bank will provide technical assistance to support the Government of Croatia in the transformation of its solid waste management system was signed by the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Tomislav Ćorić and the World Bank Country Manager for Croatia Elisabetta Capannelli.

The support will also help incorporate circular economy approaches into Croatia’s post-2022 National Waste Management Plan

According to the World Bank, the technical assistance will also help incorporate circular economy approaches into Croatia’s post-2022 National Waste Management Plan (NWMP) in line with European Union directives and the Circular Economy Package. The Croatian Government adopted the Waste Management Plan for the 2017-2022 period in 2017.

Croatia is lagging on EU waste prevention targets

Croatia is lagging on EU waste prevention targets, mainly due to low technical and financial capacity of municipalities to handle and separate waste collection and improve recycling, the World Bank’s press release reads.

Minister Tomislav Ćorić said that by the end of this year Croatia has to separate and recycle 50% of paper, metal, plastic and glass. By 2035 it must increase waste separation and recycling to 65% and reduce waste disposal to 10%.

By the end of 2020 Croatia must separate and recycle 50% of paper, metal, plastic and glass – the recycling rate was 30% at the end of 2019

A few days ago the ministry announced that the separation rate for municipal waste was around 37% in 2019, an increase of six percentage points from 2018 and the highest annual jump so far. The recycling rate for municipal waste was 30% or five percentage points higher than in 2018.

The agreement represents a step forward in the transformation to a circular economy that will contribute to the creation of a new and more modern framework for the National Waste Management Plan, Ćorić said.

“By improving waste management, Croatia can reduce health and environmental problems, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid negative impacts at the local level, such as landscape deterioration due to landfilling and water and air pollution,” Capannelli stated.

The technical assistance program will be financed using the bank’s Reimbursable Advisory Services (RAS) instrument.

Comments (0)

Be the first one to comment on this article.

Enter Your Comment
Please wait... Please fill in the required fields. There seems to be an error, please refresh the page and try again. Your comment has been sent.

Related Articles

slovenia talum aluminum solar power plants

Slovenian company Talum to install solar power plants on waste landfills

01 December 2025 - The project could boost utility-scale solar in Slovenia, where firms and households dominate with their small PV plants

croatia zagreb zagrebacki holding loan IFC waste

Zagreb to invest EUR 56 million in waste management, low-emission machinery

28 November 2025 - Zagreb Holding (ZGH), the umbrella firm for the city's utility companies, has requested approval from the authorities for long-term borrowing

waste incinerator cogeneration energy heat

Novi Sad plans to build waste-to-energy cogeneration plant

21 November 2025 - Novi Sad has invited bids for a preliminary feasibility study for a cogeneration plant that would burn processed municipal waste

The cheapest fuel, the highest health cost How Serbia manages waste motor oil

Tens of thousands of tons of waste motor oil unaccounted for in Serbia

18 November 2025 - Auto repair shops in Serbia, obliged to dispose of waste motor oil, often sell it to individuals who use it for heating