Zagreb picks technological solution for city’s waste management system

The City of Zagreb presented the design of waste management center CGO Zagreb and claimed it would be a modern facility finally enabling the closure of the Jakuševac landfill.

In January of this year, the Zagreb City Assembly adopted a feasibility study for the central waste management project for the Croatian capital and Zagreb county, which surrounds it.

The city has selected technological solution C, one of the three proposed, based on an analysis of municipal waste processing technologies as part of the updated feasibility study. The main elements of the solution for CGO Zagreb are:

• mechanical and biodrying of mixed municipal waste from the city and Zagreb county
• mechanical processing (sorting, refining) of separately collected packaging waste from the city of Zagreb and recyclable large fractions of mixed municipal waste
• mechanical processing (sorting, refining) of separately collected paper and cardboard from the city
• biological treatment of separately collected biowaste from ​​the city
• CGO Zagreb will be built next to the city’s existing central wastewater treatment plant CUPOVZ.

The project includes a new generation of closed facilities that won’t harm the citizens’ quality of life, according to the local authority. It would be financed by the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County in line with the shares of mixed municipal waste generated in the two territories. The establishment of CGO Zagreb would fulfill an obligation from the National Waste Management Plan.

According to earlier statements, the total investments for each of the three proposed technological solutions range from EUR 137 million to EUR 146 million.

Mayor Tomislav Tomašević noted that the local authority is sticking to the time frame presented early this year. According to the plan, CGO Zagreb would be put into trial operation toward the end of 2028, he added.

The city isn’t waiting for anyone and it plans to secure financing from the European development banks that are applying the highest environmental standards, according to Tomašević.

The city, in his words, is going to take over the entire waste management system and cut dependence on private firms.

According to the time frame, the location permit will be obtained by November 2025 to enable holding the tender for construction by February 2026, and to start building the facility by October 2026.