Waste management facilities face varying recycling challenges in the Balkans

Waste management facilities in the Balkan region are facing contrasting developments in recycling and processing efficiency.

In Podgorica, the local landfill is expanding its capacity to transform waste into resources. The facility has been processing waste tires since late last year, with a capacity of five to ten tons per hour. Officials report that approximately 950 tons of shredded tires are currently being prepared for export to regional cement plants and other buyers. Additionally, the landfill has exported 1,800 tons of glass and is working on recycling paper, cardboard, and edible oil.

Conversely, the sorting plant in Rijeka, Croatia, is struggling with operational efficiency due to poor waste quality. Managed by the utility company Čistoća, the facility is not operating at its full theoretical capacity. High contamination levels in collected waste are significantly slowing the sorting process and increasing costs. Specifically, waste from yellow bins intended for mixed packaging contains up to 81 percent impurities, rendering much of the material unusable for further recovery. While the plant currently meets the needs for processing separately collected waste, the high rate of contamination in both paper and packaging bins remains a major obstacle to effective recycling.