The Fund's Expert Committee Has Now Begun Reviewing the Submitted Documentation and Evaluating the Offers

Croatia has moved a step closer to cleaning up a major illegal waste site in Gospić, with two bids received for each of the first two phases of the remediation work. The Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund said offers had been submitted for the removal of around 4,500 tonnes of mixed waste with hazardous properties, as well as approximately 650 tonnes of waste stored in so-called "big bags. A previous procurement process for the 4,500 tonnes of waste attracted no interested bidders.

The Fund's expert committee has now begun reviewing the submitted documentation and evaluating the offers. Work on the site is expected to begin as soon as the required procedures are completed. The selected contractor will have a maximum of six months to remove around 300 big bags containing non-hazardous waste, while the 4,500 tonnes of mixed milled waste located near the silo will have to be removed within 12 months.

Fund director Luka Balen said the Croatian Government had secured funding for the remediation and that the aim was to address the entire site rather than deal with the problem in separate parts. Meanwhile, preparations are under way for the temporary covering of buried non-hazardous waste. A waterproof protective layer is intended to reduce the penetration of rainwater through the waste and limit the formation of contaminated leachate.

The Fund and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition are also working on the more complex task of removing and permanently disposing of the buried waste. European operators specialising in hazardous waste treatment and thermal processing have been contacted as part of market research into available capacity, technical requirements and possible disposal methods." Authorities said regular and additional water quality testing continues, with all tests so far confirming the safety of public drinking water in Lika-Senj County. The cleanup targets the former PPK Velebit site in Gospić, where thousands of tonnes of waste have accumulated.