Government proposes amendments to the Waste Management Act

This comes in the wake of the illegal landfill scandal in Gospić, in which some 33 tons of hazardous waste were illegally disposed of near the City of Gospić. Testing has already shown that groundwater downstream from the landfill has been contaminated.

Government has forwarded to parliament a proposal to amend the Waste Management Act. The goal of the amendments is to enhance oversight, introduce stricter penalties for the illegal dumping of waste, and to ensure that the costs of removing illegally dumped waste and site remediation does not fall on citizens and units of local government.

"Mandatory and continuous monitoring of waste management sites is being introduced, along with more systematic, risk-based inspections and an improved digital system for recording and tracking waste flows. Simultaneously, the powers of competent authorities are being strengthened to enable timely responses to illegal practices, including the authority to temporarily detain and seize waste shipments, vehicles, and equipment. A key message of this law is that the cost of remediating illegally dumped waste must not fall on citizens and the local community, but rather on those responsible for the pollution," said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

Also on Monday the inaugural meeting of the newly established Scientific Council for Waste Remediation in Gospić was held in Zagreb. Established by the Government, the Council’s primary task is to examine the health, environmental, technological, and other aspects of the remediation process, as well as to provide expert opinions and advice. The body comprises experts from several university faculties, and is being chaired by Stjepan Lakušić, the Rector of the University of Zagreb, with Krunoslav Capak, the Director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, serving as his deputy.

"The idea is to have the Ministry present the steps it has been asked to prepare by around September 20th, so that the scientific community can review the document, offer feedback, conducting a comprehensive feasibility assessment, identify potential challenges in the draft, and determining the best course of action to resolve the issue. The University of Zagreb holds the view that the academic community is best suited to solve societal problems, which is why we took the initiative to offer our own solution," Lakušić told reporters after the meeting.

A meeting was also held in Gospić between representatives of the Environmental Protection Fund and the contractors regarding the remediation and removal of 650 tons of bagged non-hazardous waste. The contract was awarded to the companies Holcim and Nexe, which will use the waste as a substitute fuel. The Deputy Director of the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, Mirko Budiša: "They requested access to the site to examine its layout and the positioning of the bags, which will facilitate the creation of an operational plan, which should be submitted to us by the end of this week. The remediation deadline is 45 days, but I don't want to speculate on whether we will start at the beginning or the end of the week. However, once the operational plan is in place, the sampling is completed, and the samples are verified, they will promptly proceed with the removal of the waste and its thermal treatment at their facilities."

Meanwhile, Vjekoslav Bušić from the "Gospić Is Our Home" civil initiative commented on the start of the remediation process, noting that even the remediation of the non-toxic portion of the waste has failed, as citizens in Našice and Istra County have objected to the waste being disposed of in their back yard: "The failure of two public tenders, even for the non-hazardous part of the waste - which represents only one and a half percent of the total amount in Gospić, is yet more proof of the defeat of all institutions. The extent to which Croatian citizens do not trust their institutions is best shown by the indignation of citizens in those communities where they are proposing to dispose of this waste."

Source: HRT