27.01.2025.
Contracts for co-financing the projects "Babina Gora Waste Management Centre - Phase 2" and "WMC Babina Gora - Transfer Stations Karlovac, Ogulin, Slunj and Podum" were awarded today in Karlovac County. The contracts were presented to the director of the company KODOS d.o.o., Marija Tufeković. by the minister of environmental protection and green transition, Marija Vučković, and the director of the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, Luka Balen.These new contracts will ensure continued financing of the strategically important project for the construction of a waste management centre totalling EUR 80 million. The construction of four transfer stations was completed in 2024 and operating permits were obtained. The director of the Fund explained that WMC Babina Gora will serve the area of Karlovac County, the northeastern part of Lika-Senj County and the western part of Sisak-Moslavina County for disposing of MSW in an organised and economically oriented way. "Financing for four transfer stations in Karlovac, Slunj, Ogulin and Otočac has been provided through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan in the amount of 4.8 million euros, while the total value of the project for the construction of transfer stations is slightly over 7 million", said director Balen.
Karlovac County prefect Martina Furdek Hajdin emphasised that the construction of the Centre would provide a guarantee of long-term environmental protection in this area. "We have been waiting for this project for a long time and we are looking forward to its completion next year. However, the entire system is primarily based on the awareness regarding waste separation, which is perhaps the most important element of waste management. That is why we have to continue investing in educating citizens to ensure that as little waste as possible ultimately comes to the built Centre," concluded the prefect.
"The Babina Gora Waste Management Centre and related transfer stations are not just an infrastructural project; it represents modern, responsible and efficient waste management in the Republic of Croatia, which is a prerequisite for a circular economy and sustainable society. The centre will serve the needs of almost 140 thousand inhabitants and covers residents of 7 cities and 22 municipalities. Such complex interventions require significant financial resources, time, cooperation and joint effort at all levels of government including users, so we must work even harder to educate and raise awareness of all stakeholders in the system about how important it is for all of us to actively participate in the field of waste management," concluded minister Vučković.
