Microplastics found outside illegal landfill near Benkovac

Croatia’s anti-corruption agency USKOK has published an expert report on the environmental situation around the former Kuklja quarry near Benkovac, where microplastics have been detected both inside the illegal landfill and outside its boundaries, suggesting that pollution is spreading into the surrounding environment.

The findings have alarmed local residents, while county and city officials are calling for urgent action to prevent further contamination.

Zadar County Prefect Josip Bilaver said on Wednesday that the site should be remediated as soon as possible, with clear responsibilities assigned to all institutions involved.

“The remediation plan should be ready in about two months, after which we will immediately begin the clean-up of the landfill. In a few days we will meet here and agree on clear tasks for the ministry, the environmental protection fund, the county and the city. And we will present that to the public very soon. What is important here is that we continuously measure both air and water quality, and that they remain at an acceptable level, meaning the water is safe to drink,” Bilaver said.

The case comes as an increasing number of illegal dumps containing hazardous materials are being discovered across Croatia.

The Government has promised to accelerate remediation efforts and introduce changes to the waste-management system. Experts, meanwhile, warn that Croatia needs a long-term solution for the disposal of hazardous, municipal and industrial waste.

Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Anušić said, in response to opposition calls for additional parliamentary conclusions on hazardous waste, that they were unnecessary because the Government was already negotiating the remediation of the landfill.

He added that those responsible must be held accountable and that the Government must ensure hazardous waste is not disposed of in this way anywhere in Croatia in the future.

Meanwhile, the Croatian Institute of Public Health says PFAS, or so-called “forever chemicals”, have been detected in waste and groundwater near an illegal landfill in Gospić.

However, the Institute stresses that tests so far show the chemicals have not entered the public water supply.

According to all available results, water from public water systems remains safe for human consumption. PFAS compounds were not detected in any of the 73 samples taken from the public water supply, the Institute said.

Experts from the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering detected PFAS in groundwater from monitoring wells located immediately around the landfill. Additional testing by the Croatian Institute of Public Health and the Dr Andrija Štampar Public Health Institute also found PFAS in waste samples collected at the site.

The compounds identified in the waste correspond to those found in groundwater near the landfill.

Health officials said the concentrations detected in groundwater were at the lower end of the range typically recorded near similarly contaminated landfill sites.

They added that the new findings do not change the existing expert assessment that the risk of the illegal landfill affecting sources used for public water supply is low to negligible.

Monitoring of public water supplies will continue, while water from private wells will also be tested. The public will be informed of any significant new findings.