01.03.2021.
Until mid-June this year, around 400 towns and municipalities that applied to the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund will be supplied with containers for separate waste collection in households. The supply of 1.18 million of bins of different volume for separate collection of paper, plastics, bio-waste and other recyclable waste.Along with this, the Fund had already supplied to the units of local self-government around 48 thousand larger metal and plastic containers where the citizens can separately dispose of different types of waste in their neighbourhoods. Total investment in the project is around HRK 370 million, which the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development secured from EU funds and allocated to the Fund.
“Compared to 2018, in 2019 Croatia recorded a 6% growth in separate waste collection and it is now 37% at national level. By providing the infrastructure for the citizens, and ongoing education and information campaigns, this percentage will continue to grow,” said Director of the Fund Siniša Kukić.
Leaders in the separate collection of waste are units of local self-government in Međimurje County and island Krk that have been continuously investing in not only municipal infrastructure, but also methodical education of their citizens. More than 50% of separately collected waste was recorded in Prelog, Čakovec, Koprivnica, while Varaždin, Buzet, Cres, Mali Lošinj, and many municipalities across Croatia are also above the national average.
Director Kukić believes that after the citizens get the containers these figures will grow, but key is in informing and educating the public, in combination with responsible individual conduct regarding the waste produced in households. To this end, in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development the Fund is conducting educational campaigns to raise public awareness about proper waste management hierarchy. According to the 2019 Eurostat data, with 445 kg per capita of municipal waste, Croatia sits a little below the European average of 502 kg/per capita.
Of the total number, as per the expressed interest, the most containers were ordered by the units of local self-government in Split-Dalmatia, Istria, Osijek-Baranja, and Zadar Counties. The containers are being supplied as scheduled, and so far half of contracted quantity has been delivered. Despite the pandemic and earthquake that hit Zagreb and the surrounding area and especially Sisak-Moslavina County, the investments in the waste management infrastructure have not slowed down. Together with the containers for separate waste collection, EU funds were used to co-finance the construction of recycling yards, sorting and composting plants, and the purchase of municipal vehicles. Municipal waste landfills are being remediated, part of which is financed from national resources provided by the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, and part has been secured from the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Cohesion, from which the construction of waste management centres is also co-financed.
European Green Deal and the strategic documents arising therefrom aim for Europe to become climate-neutral continent by 2050. Efficient waste management and resource-efficient economy place before Europe – including Croatia – ambitious goals calling not only for significant investments, but a shift in the current paradigm of consumer mind-set. It is therefore to be expected that in the upcoming financial period the European Commission will invest in the projects that promote sustainable waste management, which is one of the priorities in the Croatian environmental policy.
With the aim of as urgent as possible and meaningful reduction of CO2 emissions, the European Commission has prepared a comprehensive Green Deal, which through strategic determinants addresses resource sustainability and climate change adaptation.
It is estimated that half of greenhouse gas emissions, more than 90% of losses in biological diversity and shortage of water are consequences of extraction and processing of resources. Today’s way of life and consumption would require 3 planets in order to satisfy the basic needs of an average Earth dweller, so it is necessary to significantly reduce as soon as possible the use of natural resources and waste generation.
With this aim, a new Circular Economy Action Plan was drawn up together with the Green Deal, which elaborates on the measures planned to have an impact the overall reduction of consumption and extending the longevity of products, reuse, and recycling. The conventional linear economy that functions on the principle “take – use – discard” should be transformed into a truly circular economy, which is why consideration of sustainable circular systems should be incorporated into all activities, including policies, products, manufacturing processes, and business models.
Products and materials that are sustainable, circular, safe and non-toxic should become the norm, the main choice that is appealing, affordable, and accessible to all consumers. To achieve this, we will have to embrace legislative changes that will establish horizontal principles of the products policy and binding requirements for the products placed on the EU market. The design phase of new products is extremely important because 80% of their environmental impact is determined at this stage.
Unfortunately, new products end their useful life too quickly, and separate waste collection is the prerequisite for high-quality recycling and keeping valuable materials and products in the recycling loop. To further harmonise the waste statistics, the data will be gathered not only on waste collection, but on the share of efficient reuse of recycled materials. Apart from this, all stakeholders should be properly included in the transition, and stronger role of producer responsibility control can be expected.
