The Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund allocated 6 million euros for co-financing the remediation of the so-called "illegal landfills" intended for cities, municipalities and public institutions that manage protected nature areas. Local self-government units that report to the Fund the locations for which, in accordance with the Waste Management Act, decisions of the municipal warden have been issued, can receive up to 50% of eligible remediation costs, i.e. up to a maximum of 200,000 euros per project. To public institutions managing protected nature areas, the Fund will co-finance up to 80 percent of the costs, also amounting to a maximum of 200,000 euros for the remediation of individual locations.
The approved funding can be used for investigation works and categorisation of waste, development of a waste removal plan, geodetic survey of the location, execution of remediation works on the site, as well as equipment for the establishment of measures to prevent repeated fly-tipping at the cleaned location. An eligible cost also covers engaging experts in extracting waste from speleological objects and hard-to-reach locations, as well as expert supervision on the project of remediation of "illegal landfills".
"According to the reported data as part of the call for the expression of interest that the Fund had already invited, cities and municipalities have reported 91 locations, of which 32 are state-owned or owned by local self-government units. Such locations are eligible for co-financing under this public call, and based on the data obtained, the Fund has increased the originally planned budget of 4 million euros to 6 million,” said the director of the Fund, Luka Balen.
"This Public Call is a continuation of the measures announced as part of the comprehensive activities that the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition is implementing together with the Fund in order to remove illegally dumped waste. We have referred the Draft Proposal of Amendments to the Waste Management Plan of the Republic of Croatia for the period 2023 – 2028 to the e-consultations process, which will also create a legal basis for the remediation of sites contaminated with waste that are on land owned by natural and legal persons, for which we have already secured initial funding of up to EUR 30 million. We are doing everything to find systematic solutions that will not only prevent but also lead to the remediation of problematic locations contaminated with waste as soon as possible," emphasised minister Marija Vučković.
Illegal landfills are the most visible example of irresponsible waste management, and it is necessary to systematically remove them and prevent their further appearance. Through such public calls, the Fund not only addresses the consequences, but also encourages a proactive approach to waste management, in which each local self-government unit plays a key role in educating citizens, establishing supervision, and responsible management of the environment.
