29.01.2024.
Since 2007, when the system organised by the Fund was established, about 500,000 end-of-life vehicles have been collected. Any holder who hands over an old faulty car containing its basic parts to a licensed collector will receive a compensation of 13 cents per kilo of vehicle. Holders who hand over a used vehicle that is not in its integral form are entitled to a compensation just shy of 7 cents/kg.There really is no need to dump old cars in the environut or leave them to rot away in yards for years, because everything can be solved with a single phone call to a licensed collector, and you can even earn around 130 euros for handing over an old faulty vehicle. To be able to hand over their end-of-life vehicle (ELV), the holder must provide the authorised collector with proof of ownership, i.e. a copy of the vehicle registration certificate. If the person is not registered as the owner, they should submit a copy either of another document proving that the ELV is their property, or a certified power of attorney by the real owner confirming it can be handed over for recovery. Another eligible proof is the document evidencing the charge was paid to the Fund, or a certificate of vehicle registration verifying the vehicle is registered in the Republic of Croatia. The licensed treatment operator will issue an ELV treatment certificate to the holder, which they must submit at the technical inspection service when they deregister that vehicle.
The system organised in this way achieves excellent results, so it is not surprising that when it comes to the management of ELVs and waste tyres, Croatia has exceeded the goals prescribed by EU directives and the Waste Management Act.
According to the latest report of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development on the management of end-of-life vehicles and waste tyres in 2022, approx. 39,000 tonnes of ELVs were collected and treated in Croatia. The reuse and recovery rate of end-of life vehicles was about 97 per cent, with the target being 95% for reuse and 85% for recycling.
There are a number of hazardous substances in cars, which, if inadequately disposed of, can pollute nature and the environment. However, a motor vehicle also contains a number of valuable secondary raw materials, especially metals that can be further used in the production of new products. The company Ce-Za-R has an ELV treatment licence and has an organised collection network throughout the territory of the Republic of Croatia.
Unfortunately, even though an organised system of simple disposal of end-of-life vehicles is in place, there are examples of car wrecks being pulled out of the sea and lakes, and in cooperation with speleological societies and the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, some wrecks were also hauled from caves and ravines. Therefore, the Fund created another programme for co-financing the disposal of ELVs found in national parks, nature parks and on islands, and around 500 car wreckages dumped in nature were removed in these drives. The Fund will continue to improve the ELVs disposal system, and through various eco-campaigns will encourage the public to dispose of dilapidated cars, as well as old electrical and electronic appliances, in a proper and environmentally friendly way.
When it comes to meeting the targets for waste tyres, the situation is also positive. 32,168 tonnes of tyres were placed on the Croatian market in 2022, with 26,490 tonnes of waste tyres being collected through the EPEEF’s system, of which 23,020 tonnes were recovered. According to a report by the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, in 2022 Croatia exceeded the national annual target of recycling at least 80% by weight of separately collected waste tyres since 84 percent by weight of separately collected waste tyres was materially recovered.
Material recovery of waste tyres produces granulate, textiles, steel, and rubber chips. The final products in whose production recycled tyres are used are various protective rubber bases for children's playgrounds, tracks, walkways, athletic tracks. There is also cast rubber and wheels made of recycled tyres. Rubber granulate is used in bituminous asphalt mixtures improving its properties, as backfill for artificial grass on football fields, in the production of floorings, container casters and trash bins. Steel obtained from tyres is raw material used in steel mills, while textiles are sent for energy recovery to concrete plants. Waste tyres are also an excellent source of energy and can be used to produce fuel with excellent properties.
In Croatia, the company Gumiimpex - GRP from Varaždin is engaged in material recovery of tyres, while cement plants Holcim Hrvatska from Koromačno and Nexe from Našice engage in energy recovery.
In accordance with the "polluter pays" principle, the producer who, regardless of the method of sale, produces and/or imports and places tyres on the Croatian market pays to the Fund a waste management fee for tyres as either a standalone product or a component part of the product. The fee is paid to cover the costs of collecting and processing waste tyres. Authorised waste tyre collectors hand over waste tyres directly to recovery operators, to whom the Fund pays compensation for the recovery of waste tyres. Raw materials obtained in different recycling processes have demonstrated excellent properties and that they can be used for different purposes.
The greatest value of all of special categories of waste management systems that are administered by the Fund, waste tyres included, is compliance with all circular economy principles, which encourages economic activity and protects the environment because the goal is to prevent the landfilling or, even worse, fly-tipping of tyres.
2022 Report on the management of end-of-life vehicles and waste tyres
