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Bikarac opening ceremony: Trial run of the first Waste Management Centre in Dalmatia

21.12.2021.

The director of the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, Siniša Kukić, attended the opening ceremony of the first Waste Management Centre in Dalmatia, with the trial run carried out on the occasion.

With the completion of this project, the citizens of Šibenik, Knin, Drniš, Vodice, Skradin, and the municipalities in Šibenik-Knin County will get a long-term, quality, and sustainable waste management system that complies with the highest European Union standards. 

Today’s function was attended by the minister of economy and sustainable development, Tomislav Ćorić, the state secretary at the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds Velimir Žunac, the mayor of the Town of Šibenik Željko Burić, the officer temporarily in charge of the duties of mayor of Šibenik-Knin County Sanja Slavica Matešić, the director of the company Bikarac d.o.o. Robert Podrug, and other attendees.

The design and works contract for WMC Bikarac and auxiliary structures, which included the construction of transfer stations and procurement of special equipment, is co-financed by the European Union from the Cohesion Fund, the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, and the Town of Šibenik, with the overall value of HRK 245 million.

“Today marks a new era in waste management for the entire Šibenik-Knin County. The path to the modern Waste Management Centre Bikarac was neither easy nor simple, and that is why I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all those who persevered and contributed to having such a state-of-the-art plant built at Bikarac. Apart from the expert support, the Fund also provided almost 60 million kunas to close the financial package for this strategic project, worth in total 245 million kunas,” pointed out Siniša Kukić, the director of the Fund.

Minister  Ćorić expressed his appreciation of such an efficient waste management system, and added: “In the future, Šibenik-Knin County will manage their waste in a considerably better and more optimal manner compared to majority of other Croatian regions, whereby Šibenik and Šibenik-Knin County can be an example to look up to. This pearl of Dalmatia has may protected areas, and tourism is extremely important, so this means that one very significant segment of its functioning will be optimised.”
“The opening of the Bikarac plant is not only the issue of utility service, but of the quality of life, and Šibenik is one of very few towns in Croatia that can boast with a modern centre that will help to establish an environmentally efficient waste management system,” said Željko Burić, the mayor of  Šibenik.

The MBT plant (mechanical-biological treatment of waste) represents the second phase of construction of Waste Management Centre Bikarac. In the first phase of the project, the existing landfill was closed and remediation, and the new, sanitary landfill was built. In the second phase, along with the construction and equipping of the MBT plant, two transfer stations were built, special equipment and vehicles were purchased, a landfill cell with the leachate and drainage systems was built, internal roads, the administrative office building with the parking lot, and substations.

At the moment, Bikarac receives around 70,000 tonnes of waste, of which more than 40,000 is municipal waste. Once WMC Bikarac starts operation, the processing input capacity of the MBT plant will be up to 50 000 t/year. The by-product of municipal waste management at Bikarac will be separated usable waste (paper, plastics, metal, glass), stabilised biodegradable waste that will be landfilled, refuse derived fuel (solid recovered fuel for use in power plants or cement works), and biowaste compost.

“In 2021, Šibenik-Knin County got a modern waste management centre from which everyone in the county will benefit. The centre will resolve both economic and environmental problem of waste management in the County, providing a better  quality of life to all citizens in the county. With proper waste management, we can really contribute to a more efficient use of resources and sustainable growth of the county, and this is something we should all make our priority,” said the general manager of Bikarac, Robert Podrug.