September the 12th, 2026 – After the hazardous waste scandal in Lika comes the news that Croatia is actually the only EU country without a proper waste incinerator.
Croatia is facing an enormous waste management problem with nowhere left to dispose of it, and at the same time it is the only EU Member State without a single waste incinerator. Index reports that all across the rest of Europe, more than 500 of them are currently operating. Switzerland, Norway, the UK and others also have numerous incinerators. After the scandal involving improperly disposed waste in Gospić, the question of building energy plants, facilities for the thermal treatment of waste, is being raised once again.
After the horrific case in Gospić, it seems the question is no longer whether Croatia can avoid thermal treatment of waste, but where it will even carry it out. Landfills have limited capacity, and European rules require less and less landfilling of waste that can be treated differently.
croatian ministers are confused
Minister of Economy Ante Šušnjar points out that Croatian companies are building such facilities across Europe. “If all EU Member States have them, only Malta does not but is building them, and if there are 500 of them, is Croatia the smartest or is there some other issue here? When it comes to building incinerators, Croatian companies today are building them across Europe, in Iceland, Belgium, Scotland and Germany. If we can do that for the whole world, I think we should also do it here,” said Šušnjar, as reported by N1.
Energy plants burn waste and use the resulting energy to produce electricity and heating. They are not a replacement for recycling, but a solution for the remaining part of the waste. Their construction in Croatia has for years been opposed by part of the public due to concerns about emissions, impacts on health and the environment, and the disposal of residues after incineration.
Minister of Environmental Protection Marija Vučković believes that the set waste management targets cannot be achieved without energy plants. “Would I accept an energy plant in my neighbourhood? If the environmental impact assessment has shown that it is acceptable, if the conditions from the permits are regularly controlled and, of course, if the supervision system is fully functional, there is no reason not to have an energy plant in one’s neighbourhood,” said Vučković.
is the system the problem?
Nikola Grmoja from Most sees the problem in the system, not in the disposal model itself. “If we do not have a control system, if hazardous waste could be imported into Croatia without anyone noticing or doing anything about it, how will we know what is being burned there, where it is being brought from, what the by-product is and where that by-product ends up?” asks Grmoja. He believes this is a question of a non-functioning system and corrupt people in key positions. “If we talk about the model, I am not sure how incinerators fit into all the goals that the European Commission has set for us regarding waste separation,” he said.
the zagreb project and interest from other cities
Interest in building energy plants has been shown by Šibenik, Osijek and Rijeka, and Zagreb is also considering it. A feasibility projection for Zagreb was made back in 2024 and showed that such facilities pay off. President of the Zagreb City Assembly Matej Mišić confirmed the position of the city SDP to N1. “The city SDP continues to advocate the construction of an energy plant that would burn refuse-derived fuel and thereby generate thermal energy. In fact, the City Assembly already in 2024 adopted a conclusion launching the preparation of documentation for the construction of an energy plant,” said Mišić. Although the project was started, it has not been realised. If energy plants become part of the solution for waste in Croatia, the open question remains whether the need for waste disposal will ultimately outweigh the resistance to such facilities.
