Pazin faces environmental risk from thousands of tons of stored waste

Thousands of tons of waste, reportedly imported from Italy under suspicious circumstances, have been stored in the abandoned Istraplastika factory complex in the center of Pazin, Croatia, for seven years. The accumulated material, estimated to be between 4,000 and 12,000 tons, is causing the structural integrity of the 1970s-era buildings to fail.

Local residents reported a surge in suspicious activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, observing approximately 4 to 5 trucks per day unloading waste at the site. While the building owner, a Slovenian citizen, has initiated legal proceedings and criminal complaints against the tenant company, the business quickly entered bankruptcy, leaving the responsibility for cleanup and costs uncertain.

Residents have expressed significant fears regarding potential fires, noting that a transformer station is located beneath the building and the complex is poorly secured.