Istria residents block roads to protest waste transport to Holcim cement plant

waste shipment law waste incineration protests Holcim Koromačno Gospić waste crisis Istria environmental protests

Residents in the Labinština and Koromačno regions of Croatia have launched road blockades to protest the government's decision to transport approximately 650 tons of waste from Gospić to the Holcim cement plant in Koromačno for energy recovery.

Environmental Minister Marija Vučković defended the move, stating the waste is non-hazardous and represents less than 0.5 percent of the typical volume used by cement plants as alternative fuel. She noted that 48 additional samples confirmed the waste's non-hazardous status. However, protesters argue the move effectively turns the cement plant into a waste incinerator and demand better solutions.

The controversy is linked to long-standing issues in Gospić, where illegal waste dumping has been reported. Reports, including coverage by The Guardian, highlight the presence of PFAS (forever chemicals) in groundwater near Gospić landfills. Political opposition, including SDP Istra, has criticized the government for bypassing local community consultation and the Istrian County Assembly.

Entities

Dušica Radojčić · Gospić · Holcim · Holcim Hrvatska · Kaštijun · Koromačani · Koromačno · Labinština · Marija Vučković · Možemo! · Nexe

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[○ 1 SOURCE] The Croatian government decided to transport approximately 650 tons of non-hazardous waste from Gospić to the Holcim cement plant in Koromačno and the Nexe plant in Našice. www.novilist.hr
[○ 1 SOURCE] Additional analysis of 48 waste samples confirmed they were all non-hazardous. www.tportal.hr
[○ 1 SOURCE] The SDP political party criticized the government for deciding to burn waste from Gospić in Istria without local consultation. n1info.hr
[● 2 SOURCES] The amount of waste from Gospić represents less than 0.5 percent of the typical volume of waste used by cement plants for fuel. www.novilist.hr · www.tportal.hr
[● 2 SOURCES] Residents of Labinština and Koromačno are protesting to prevent the cement plant from becoming a waste incinerator. www.dnevno.hr · www.glasistre.hr
[● 2 SOURCES] The waste being transported from Gospić is non-hazardous and will be used as alternative fuel in the cement plant. www.novilist.hr · www.tportal.hr
[○ 1 SOURCE] The draft law on waste shipments aims to ensure full traceability from the sender through transport to the final recipient. prigorski.hr
[○ 1 SOURCE] The presence of PFAS (forever chemicals) has been confirmed in groundwater samples near the illegal waste sites in Gospić. www.index.hr

Sources

Vučković predstavila Nacrt zakona o pošiljkama otpada koji osigurava sljedivost [prigorski.hr]

3 days ago

Kaos kod Koromačna zbog dovoženja otpada iz Gospića: Građani blokirali cestu [www.dnevno.hr]

4 days ago

"Vidimo li se večeras u 18?" Na Labinštini spremaju novu blokadu [www.glasistre.hr]

3 days ago

SDP poručio Vladi: "Istra nije ničije dvorište. Vrijeme je da prestanete provoditi diktaturu i počnete slušati!" [n1info.hr]

4 days ago

Vučković o blokadi cementare Holcim: "Žao mi je što se ovo događa. Mi razumijemo ljude" [www.novilist.hr]

3 days ago

Ministrica Vučković: Posve nepotrebno se protivite dovozu otpada iz Gospića [www.tportal.hr]

3 days ago

O Gospiću piše i Guardian. "To je postao nacionalni, pa čak i globalni problem" [www.index.hr]

3 days ago