The World Bank’s Board of Directors has officially approved a €46 million (approximately $54 million) loan facility for Bosnia and Herzegovina, aimed at the comprehensive modernization of the country’s outdated solid waste management system. The Sustainable Waste Management Project (SWEEP) focuses on eliminating non-hygienic dumpsites, expanding selective waste collection, and boosting recycling rates. The investment not only reduces the country’s ecological footprint but also directly improves the quality of life for over a million residents.
Based on reports from the Sarajevo Times and official World Bank documentation, SWEEP represents a comprehensive, systemic intervention in the Balkan state’s environmental protection efforts. The project focuses on closing old, polluting, and non-hygienic landfills and ensuring their ecological rehabilitation.
In parallel, existing regional sanitary landfills will be upgraded with state-of-the-art technologies. The program pays special attention to waste sorting, composting, resource recovery, and establishing the foundational principles of a circular economy.
Measurable Goals: Safe Disposal and a 20 Percent Recycling Rate
The environmental and social impacts of the investment are highly significant. According to official plans, the implementation of the project is expected to yield the following specific, quantifiable results:
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The safe and hygienic disposal of over 420,000 tons of municipal solid waste annually.
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Increasing recycling and recovery rates from the current extremely low baseline to 20 percent.
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Improving the quality of public services for over one million people across the participating municipalities.
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The implementation of the project and the operation of the new, modern systems are expected to create over 100 new jobs in the local waste management sector.
Alongside the World Bank loan, the initiative’s implementation is further supported by an additional $1.56 million grant from the Global Partnership for Results-Based Approaches Trust Fund.
Institutional Support and Advancing EU Integration
Christopher Sheldon, World Bank Country Manager for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, highlighted the broader significance of the project:
“This project will help municipalities replace unsafe waste disposal practices with modern, sustainable systems. By strengthening both infrastructure and local capacities, it supports better public health outcomes and helps align Bosnia and Herzegovina with European Union environmental standards.”
The SWEEP project does not stop at mere physical infrastructure investments. It provides significant institutional and capacity-building support to municipalities, cantonal authorities, and local, municipally-owned public utility companies. The ultimate goal is to optimize operational performance, improve financial management, and guarantee the long-term sustainability of these essential public services.
The initiative perfectly aligns with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 2022–2032 Environmental Strategy and Action Plan and its national climate commitments. Furthermore, it marks a crucial step toward meeting European Union accession requirements—specifically Chapter 27 on environment and climate change—and achieving the ambitious objectives of the Western Balkans Green Agenda.
Official Sources and References:
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Original News Source (Sarajevo Times): World Bank Supports Modernization of Solid Waste Management in BiH
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World Bank (Official Project Document): World Bank Documents & Reports (BOSIB)