- by croatiaweek
- in News
ZAGREB, 12 October 2026 (Hina) – Croatia is planning to build four waste-to-energy plants as the country looks to reduce landfill use and manage growing quantities of municipal waste that cannot be recycled.
The proposed facilities would complement the country’s planned network of 11 waste management centres and convert residual waste into energy, according to the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund.
Speaking at a recent round-table discussion on energy recovery from hazardous waste, Maja Feketić, head of the EU funds sector at the Fund, said Croatia faced a growing need for solutions to manage waste left over after recycling.
Municipal waste generation in Croatia has increased towards the European Union average. In 2014, Croatia produced 379 kilogrammes of municipal waste per capita, compared with the EU average of 479 kilogrammes. By 2024, the figures had risen to 497 kilogrammes in Croatia and 517 kilogrammes across the EU.
Feketić said waste generation was growing faster in Croatia than in the EU overall, placing additional pressure on the waste management system.
Four plants planned across Croatia
Croatia intends to establish four waste-to-energy plants, none of which is planned to process hazardous waste.
The first proposed facility would be located at the Bikarac Regional Waste Management Centre near Šibenik. Funding has been secured for the preparation of technical documentation through cooperation between the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition.
The plant would process up to 130,000 tonnes of waste-derived fuel and dried sewage sludge annually, serving four Dalmatian counties.
A second facility is planned within the Osijek cogeneration plant, in the Osijek free zone. It would have an annual capacity of 54,000 tonnes and serve the Slavonia region.
Rijeka has also expressed interest in developing a plant and has submitted a request to the Fund. The proposed facility could process waste-derived fuel and dried sludge from the Marišćina, Kaštijun and Babina Gora waste management centres.
Zagreb is also expected to pursue a waste-to-energy project, while private investment proposals are under consideration.
Feketić said the development of these facilities was linked to the expansion of Croatia’s waste management infrastructure.
By 2031, the country is expected to have 11 waste management centres. Five are currently operational, three are under construction and contractor selection is pending for two others. Zagreb, which is expected to have the largest centre, has received a location permit.
The centres are expected to produce approximately 550,000 tonnes of waste-derived fuel annually, creating a need for facilities capable of processing it.
Landfill use remains a challenge
Croatia has made progress in recycling and reducing its reliance on landfill sites, but a substantial proportion of municipal waste is still being buried.
According to figures presented by Feketić, the share of waste sent to landfill fell from 94% to 51% between 2010 and 2024. Over the same period, the recycling rate increased from 4% to 38%.
The figures highlight a gap between recycling and landfill disposal that waste-to-energy facilities could help address.
Across the EU, approximately 61 million tonnes of municipal waste underwent energy recovery in 2024, accounting for 26% of the total.
More than 500 waste-to-energy plants operate across the EU and, in the wider European context, including Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The region also has around 30 incineration facilities dedicated to hazardous waste.
Countries with established waste-to-energy infrastructure include Germany, with 92 plants, France with 116, Sweden with 37 and Italy with 36, based on figures cited at the discussion.
Feketić noted that countries with high recycling rates also operate significant numbers of waste-to-energy facilities, arguing that the two approaches can complement each other.
Daniel Rolph Schneider, head of the Department of Power Engineering, Energy and Environment at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Zagreb, said energy recovery was necessary for certain types of residual waste for which recycling was not a viable option.
He also supported the development of four plants in Croatia, noting that the C.I.O.S. company was planning a facility in Sisak and that Kutina had also been mentioned as a possible location for a project.
However, developing such infrastructure will take time. Schneider estimated that between eight and 10 years could pass between the decision to build a plant and the start of operations.
He said the technology could help recover energy from waste while also allowing minerals and metals to be extracted from ash. Recovering materials such as phosphorus and zinc could contribute to resource supplies, while the production of electricity and heat could support energy and climate objectives.
Energy recovery can also provide a controlled method of treating waste that cannot be recycled, reducing the amount sent to landfill.
Croatia currently has no operational waste-to-energy plants, placing it among a small group of European countries without such facilities. Bulgaria, Cyprus and Malta also have none, while Greece is planning and building six plants, according to the figures presented.
The proposed projects would mark a significant change in Croatia’s approach to residual waste, although their implementation will depend on planning, investment and construction over the coming years.