November the 28th, 2020 - When it comes to construction waste, it's unfortunately an all too common sight to see it discarded somewhere it shouldn't be, littering the wild Croatian wilderness and damaging the environment. Come spring 2021, the new Split-Dalmatia construction waste recycling yard will hopefully put a stop to at least the majority of such fly-tipping.

As Novac/Jozo Vrdoljak writes, he construction of a recycling yard for Split-Dalmatia construction waste has finally begun, a project initiated by CEMEX Croatia and the City of Kastela. It will be the first construction waste disposal site in all of Split-Dalmatia County, which will ensure that people can safely and properly dispose of construction waste in a legal and environmentally acceptable manner.

During the year, all of the necessary permits for the new Split-Dalmatia construction waste yard were obtained, the contractor Takom was selected and construction finally began, and as the title suggests, it should be completed in the spring of next year.

''For CEMEX, this project is important because we're helping to solve the long-standing problem faced by the local community. Opening up this new opportunity for residents will meet all the needs for the establishment of a system for construction waste management according to the requirements of the circular economy. The project, in partnership with the City of Kastela, was designed in accordance with the concept of sustainable development, which is an integral part of our approach to business, both globally and here in Croatia,'' said Velimir Vilovic, Director of CEMEX Croatia.

With a capacity of 100 tonnes per day, which reaches a massive 30,000 tonnes per year, the new Split-Dalmatia construction waste recycling yard ill be located in the western part of the existing Sveti Juraj - Sveti Kajo area, where the exploitation of mineral resources used to take place. It will cover an area totalling ​​6,300 m2, and in the first phase of this project, CEMEX will invest around three million kuna in construction and equipping. An additional 1.5 million kuna will be subsequently invested in increasing the yard's capacity and further improving its general efficiency, if that is so required by the market, ie the needs of its users.

''When it comes to waste in Kastela, we've really introduced order, starting from opening a recycling yard for different types of waste, taking waste from people's doorsteps to participating in the construction of this recycling yard. We're still in the phase of an agreement on the joint establishment of a company that will manage it, and these are technical issues that we believe we'll all agree on in the near future as we plan to build another city recycling yard for which we have around 1.5 million kuna planned for in next year's budget. In addition to the recycling yard in Rudine, the people of Kastela will also be able to dispose of certain types of waste in Kastel Sucurac, which will reduce transportation costs and save time,'' said the mayor of Kastela, Denis Ivanovic.

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As Slobodna Dalmacija writes on the 14th of February, 2020, there are more than 200 underwater archaeological sites below the surface of the sparkling Adriatic in ​​Split-Dalmatia County, ranging from isolated finds of small artefacts to preserved shipwrecks carrying amphorae and shipwrecks from World War II.

Archaeologists Sasa Denegri, Silva Kukoc and Tea Katunaric Kirjakov, an archaeologist and art historian at the Art Academy of the University of Split, have produced a cultural and tourist guide called "The Underwater Heritage of Split-Dalmatia County".

The aim of this guide is to promote Central Dalmatia's rich underwater archaeological sites in order to get a complete picture of the diversity and importance of the underwater world, and encourage the further development of archaeological and diving tourism in Split-Dalmatia County, according to Dalmacija.hr.

"Our underwater heritage stands out as an added value to Croatian tourism. Throughout the guide, almost all the localities in our county are listed along with all the directions, the depth they are located at is detailed, and what is permitted in these areas is also detailed. I believe that through the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, all those tourists who want to see these cultural sites ​​in an organised way will be acquainted with them. I'd also like to thank the authors of the guide, as well as the county services who have done something extremely valuable and of high quality,'' said Prefect Blazenko Boban.

In addition to Split-Dalmatia County's prefect, the guide was presented by the Head of the Department for Tourism and Maritime Affairs, Stipe Cogelj, and the Director of the Tourist Board of Split-Dalmatia County, Josko Stella.

The cultural and tourist guide to the underwater heritage of Split-Dalmatia County presents 28 underwater sites and three museum collections with underwater archaeological finds. The guide is designed in such a way that the waters of Split-Dalmatia County are divided into five geographical areas (the waters of Split and the Bay of Kastela, the waters of the island of Brac, the waters of the island of Hvar, the waters of the islands of Vis and Palagruza), and it covers the period from prehistory right up to the Second World War.

All localities are approximately indicated on maps, and different colours indicate different depths of sites.

A separate section also deals with the Battle of Vis as the most significant naval battle on the Adriatic sea and the three wrecks that participated in the battle as one of the most significant underwater finds in the Adriatic.

During the development of the guide, it was ensured that it represented different types of cultural domain from all historical periods, covering all of the waters of the county (ancient remains of architecture and shipwrecks, late medieval shipwrecks, and the remains of modern-day wrecks and planes from World War II). In addition to the historical and geographical information, each site has its own level of depth and accessibility for visitors.

The guide is available in Croatian and English.

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Big Brother may well be watching you in and around the wider Split area as local police approve a significant number of brand new surveillance cameras in numerous locations within that aforementioned area of central Dalmatia in the name of heightened security.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 17th of May, 2019, the Croatian police in Split-Dalmatia County will issue their approval if all of the necessary conditions for the placement of the new surveillance cameras are met, and if they deem that the setting of the new video surveillance system will positively affect the level of general security of people and property.

The Split Police Administration has stated that approvals have already been issued for the installation of new surveillance cameras in the nearby areas of Trogir and Solin.

As Slobodna Dalmacija reports, as of the beginning of 2019, the Split Police Inspectorate has issued two approvals for the placement of video surveillance systems in Trogir in 23 locations and in Solin in a further 10 locations. Before the new approvals came, Solin had received police approval for three cameras, and this year Solin requested a police review of locations where the administration could set up three times as many such devices.

Should local police give the green light to the new surveillance camera locations and agree that their placement would be beneficial to the area's overall safety and security levels for both people and for property, then all of the approvals will be given. In previous years, licenses were granted to Split for fifteen different locations, Solin received approval for three locations, Makarska got the green light for six locations, Hvar was okayed for twelve locations, Sinj was approved for one and the Lovreć Municipality received approval for four locations.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle and Total Split pages for much more.