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★Mark us as a preferred sourceCroatia has committed to a significant step forward in its environmental sector by planning the construction of four new facilities designed to convert residual garbage into usable power. The primary goal of these massive investments is to alleviate the heavy burden on traditional landfills and efficiently manage the growing quantities of municipal solid waste that can no longer be recycled. The proposed Croatian waste-to-energy plants will complement a future nationwide network of 11 comprehensive waste management centers, helping the country close the infrastructure gap compared to the European Union average.
In short: Croatia plans to build four new waste-to-energy facilities to dramatically reduce landfill reliance. These plants will process roughly 550,000 tonnes of waste-derived fuel annually from 11 future regional centers. With these investments, Croatia aims to join hundreds of European facilities that turn non-recyclable trash into energy and recovered minerals, though complete implementation could take 8 to 10 years.
Planned locations and capacities for the Croatian waste-to-energy plants
According to the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, a total of four such facilities are planned, and it has been strictly mandated that none of them will process hazardous waste. The first proposed facility would be located at the Bikarac Regional Waste Management Centre near Šibenik. Funding for the preparation of necessary technical documentation has already been successfully secured through a joint effort between the Fund and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition. This facility is expected to process up to 130,000 tonnes of waste-derived fuel (RDF) and dried sewage sludge annually, effectively serving four Dalmatian counties.
A second facility is scheduled to be integrated within the Osijek cogeneration plant, located in the Osijek free zone. It will feature an annual capacity of 54,000 tonnes and is designed specifically to serve the Slavonia region. Rijeka has also officially expressed interest in developing its own plant and has already submitted a formal request to the Fund.
The proposed Rijeka facility would process waste-derived fuel and dried sludge generated from the Marišćina, Kaštijun, and Babina Gora waste management centres. Zagreb is also expected to pursue a similar large-scale project, while private sector investment proposals remain under close consideration. Among these private initiatives, the C.I.O.S. company is planning a facility in Sisak, and the city of Kutina has also been mentioned as a possible project location. Strategically, these Croatian waste-to-energy plants aim to cover the diverse regional needs of the entire country.
Rising municipal waste levels and the European Union average
Maja Feketić, head of the EU funds sector at the Fund, highlighted the mounting challenges during a recent round-table discussion regarding energy recovery from hazardous waste. She emphasized that Croatia is facing a rapidly growing need for effective solutions to manage the leftover waste after all recycling processes are exhausted. Municipal waste generation is currently expanding faster in Croatia than in the EU overall, placing severe additional pressure on the domestic waste management system.
Official statistics clearly illustrate this trend: in 2014, Croatia produced 379 kilograms of municipal waste per capita, significantly lower than the EU average of 479 kilograms at the time. By 2024, however, these figures had surged to 497 kilograms per person in Croatia, while the broader EU average reached 517 kilograms.
Waste management centers and the ongoing landfill challenge
The development of these energy facilities is intrinsically linked to the broader expansion of Croatia’s waste infrastructure. By the year 2031, the country is expected to have a total of 11 operational waste management centres. Currently, five are operational, three are actively under construction, and contractor selection is pending for two others. Zagreb, which is slated to host the largest center, has already received its location permit. Together, these centres are projected to produce approximately 550,000 tonnes of waste-derived fuel annually, creating an immediate demand for advanced processing facilities.
While the country has indeed made substantial progress in improving recycling rates and reducing its historic reliance on landfill sites, a huge proportion of municipal waste is still buried underground. The figures presented by Feketić reveal that the share of waste sent to landfill decreased from 94% in 2010 to 51% in 2024. During this exact same timeframe, the recycling rate jumped from a mere 4% to 38%. These numbers suggest that understanding the situation of Croatian waste incinerators and developing them further is absolutely essential to addressing the massive gap between recycling and final disposal.
European trends, material recovery, and future timelines
Across the European Union, approximately 61 million tonnes of municipal waste underwent energy recovery in 2024, accounting for a solid 26% of the total waste generated. Currently, more than 500 waste-to-energy plants operate across the EU, along with Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Digging deeper into the figures cited at the discussion, Germany operates 92 plants, France has 116, Sweden maintains 37, and Italy manages 36. Additionally, the region hosts around 30 incineration facilities explicitly dedicated to hazardous materials.
In sharp contrast, Croatia currently has zero operational waste-to-energy plants, placing it in a small group of European nations without such facilities, alongside Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Malta. Meanwhile, Greece is actively planning and building six new plants. Daniel Rolph Schneider, head of the Department of Power Engineering, Energy and Environment at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Zagreb, argued that energy recovery remains absolutely necessary for specific types of residual waste where conventional recycling is no longer a viable option.
However, he warned that developing this kind of massive infrastructure takes considerable time. Schneider estimated that between 8 and 10 full years could pass between the initial decision to build a plant and the actual start of commercial operations. Beyond just producing electricity and heat to support vital climate objectives, he noted that the technology allows valuable minerals and metals—such as phosphorus and zinc—to be safely extracted from the remaining ash. The implementation of these projects over the coming years will mark a monumental shift in Croatia’s approach to municipal waste.
FAQ
Where will the new facilities be located?
According to the proposals, the initial plants will be located near Šibenik (at the Bikarac centre), in Osijek (within the cogeneration plant), and in Rijeka. Zagreb is also expected to launch a project. Furthermore, private investments have highlighted Sisak and Kutina as potential sites.
How long will it take to build these facilities?
Experts, including Daniel Rolph Schneider from the University of Zagreb, estimate that developing this level of infrastructure requires significant time. It could take anywhere between 8 to 10 years from the final decision to build a plant until it becomes fully operational.
Will these plants process hazardous waste?
No. It has been explicitly stated that none of the four planned waste-to-energy facilities in Croatia are designed or intended to process any hazardous waste. They will focus exclusively on municipal waste-derived fuel (RDF) and dried sewage sludge.
🔗 Official sources and references: 👉
Croatia Week – Croatia plans four waste-to-energy plants
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