1.18 million separate waste collection bins will be distributed across 400 cities in Croatia

By allocating bins and carrying out educational campaigns on the correct hierarchy of waste management, Croatia will encourage citizens to become more environmentally friendly

Around 400 Croatian cities have applied to the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund. This year, 1.18 million waste collection bins will be allocated to various households in these municipalities, reported Croatia's national news agency Hina. While the delivery of these containers has already begun, it is estimated that all 1.18 million will be delivered by mid-June.

The bins will be of different volumes and they will separately collect papers, plastics, biowaste, and other recyclable materials. Previously, the Fund had delivered around 48,000 metal and plastic containers. These bins were placed in local government units so citizens could also dispose of waste in their neighbourhoods.

Funding

In total, the project will cost over 48.8 million euros (approximately HRK 370 million). The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development has approved this investment and ensured funding from the EU. Speaking to Hina, the director of the Fund, Siniša Kukić, explained that the key to encouraging citizens to become more environmentally friendly lies not only in providing infrastructure but in also educating the public.

Thus, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, the Fund will carry out educational campaigns. By doing so, it hopes to teach citizens the correct hierarchy of waste management.

Separate waste collection rates in Croatia

Currently, the local government units in Međimurje County and the island of Krk have the best ranking for separate waste collection. The reason for this is the aforementioned provision of education alongside continuous investments in infrastructure.

The municipalities of Prelog, Čakovec and Koprivnica also have a separate collection rate of above 50%, while the cities of Varaždin, Buzet, Cres and Mali Lošinj are above the national average. Nevertheless, according to 2019 data from Eurostat, Croatia is just below the European average rate of 502 kilograms of municipal waste per capita.

It must be noted that EU funds have been used for more than the allocation of new waste collection containers. That is, they have also been put towards co-financing the construction of recycling yards, sorting and composting plants, as well as rehabilitating municipal landfills.

Thanks to these initiatives, Croatia is slowly but surely on its way to becoming an eco-friendlier country.