Waste Disposal : Croatia: Zagreb gets new bulky waste disposal system
Zagreb is set to introduce a new bulky waste management system.
The decision comes in the wake of the suspension of a former waste management contract issued between the city and the waste management companies Reoma Group and Ce-za-r.
Originally intended to run till January 2022, the contract does not apply anymore, as the current waste volume already exceeds the stipulated volume the companies are willing to dispose of by the given time period.
A series of earthquakes that hit the country a year ago helped contribute to said state of waste overflow. As of March 2021, said natural disasters resulted in the generation of 4,281 tons of bulky waste, 73 tons of waste wood and 7,144 tons of construction waste.
The new contract instituted by the city’s mayor Tomislav Tomašević will entail the renting of a provisional waste crusher, intended for the management of said extra waste.
Originally, the proposed tender stipulated the purchase of two crushers, to be financed via EU funding. As the procurement process is still underway, the city has resorted to hiring a crusher as an interim solution.
According to Tomašević, the new waste management solution should help the capital save €4,4 million annually. The originally high costs were attributed by him to the fact that the city chose to outsource waste management provision to private companies instead of establishing its own bulky waste management system.
The new strategy also entails the recovery of raw materials in the form of wood and metal, which are intended for sale.
This measure comes as part of a programme instituted by Zagreb’s current left-green alliance, a coalition also made up of Tomašević’s own list, ‘We can’ (Možemo!). The 28-point programme shines a spotlight on issues such as energy transition, waste and water management as well as sustainable mobility, all tied together by circular economy principles.
The main objective of the new administration in relation to these objectives is the transformation and positioning of Zagreb as an eco-friendly capital.