Croatia's Rastovača Cave Cleanup Removes Decades of Illegal Waste

Work began on July 9 to clean the Rastovača cave in Lika‑Senj County, which had been polluted for years by illegally dumped waste. The Public Institution for the Protection and Preservation of Nature, supported by the Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency and the municipality of Plitvička Jezera, is carrying out the project with a total budget of €38,562.50, of which €30,850 is funded by the environmental fund and the remainder by the municipality, which also organizes waste transport.

The ex‑situ method is used: speleologists manually collect waste from the cave floor, place it in bags and lift it to the surface with ropes and a motorised hoist for disposal at an authorised landfill. Local residents assist with transport. Preventive measures include warning signs, video surveillance and, in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior, removal of any explosive material found in the cave.