Waste management challenges in transition to circular economy - Case of Croatia

Despite the obligations assumed by Croatian accession to the European Union in 2013, municipal waste still mainly ends at landfills, even in regions where significant investments were made in waste management centres based on mechanical-biological treatment, and in which mixed waste is collected and processed into refuse-derived fuel and disposed at so-called bioreactor landfills. Waste management sector in Croatia necessitates substantial restructuring if it is to achieve compliance with circular economy. Since Croatia is far from achieving specific targets, in 2016 an attempt was made to adopt a strategic waste management document that would have paved the way to reaching circular economy targets, but its contents were substantially modified in course of its adoption, preserving the concept devised a decade and half ago. The paper presents waste and circularity indicators for Croatia, analyses national policies, targets, achievements and EU recommendations, and proposes the measures which would accelerate Croatias path towards circular economy, resource efficiency, reduction of marine litter in the Adriatic and bio economy. The model is applicable to other countries in transition and those which still rely on landfilling and linear economy concept. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.