ZAGREB, 10 July 2022 - An action plan for construction and demolition waste is to be adopted in the autumn, and this has been chosen as a priority for efforts to switch to the circular economy, the head of the sustainable waste management department in Croatia's economy ministry says in an interview with Hina.

The official Sanja Radović has told Hina in the interview published on Sunday that the preparation of the five-year action plan for the circular economy has been supported by the World Bank.

Recently, a committee for the circular economy has been set up.

According to Radović, as much as 70% of the construction and demolition waste can be re-used and recycled.

Construction and demolition waste has been selected as a priority also because of the 2020 devastating earthquakes in Zagreb and Sisak-Moslavina County, which also resulted in higher quantities of building debris.

Construction and demolition waste management is also within the remit of local authorities that are supposed to introduce an organised system.

The units of local authorities are supposed to determine drop-off locations where construction and demolition debris can be disposed and choose waste sorting and recycling tools for that purpose.

Sorted construction waste can be reused in the construction industry.

In the quake-hit Banovina area in Sisak-Moslavina County this process is already applied, and the City of Zagreb is expected to start doing that in the autumn.

Currently, Croatia sorts out 35% of all the waste, said Radović.

The aim of the circular economy is to reduce the quantity of non-recycled waste to the lowest possible level.

(Hina) ms