Holcim has begun incinerating part of the waste from Gospić in its Koromačno plant, Istra 24 learned, citing two independent sources at a meeting of the Istra County working group held today behind closed doors. Before incineration, the waste from Gospić is mixed with other waste at a site in Pazin.
According to these reports, the waste from Gospić is first transported to the area of Pazin, where it is mixed with other materials, after which it is transported to the Holcim plant in Koromačno for recovery, i.e. incineration in the cement production process. The exact location where the waste is mixed was not disclosed to the members of the working group. Representatives of Holcim explained that the reason was a fear that publishing the location would trigger a public reaction. This claim cannot yet be verified from publicly available documentation.
Hol previously announced checks on every shipment. On 10 September, the government decided that 650 tons of waste from large bags at the former PP Velebit site in Gospić would be removed urgently and recovered in the Hol cement plants in Koromačno and Našice. Hol would take approximately half of this amount. The Fund for the Protection of the Environment announced at the beginning of this week that the removal of waste had begun.
The Fund states that the entire process, from additional analysis and taking over to transport and final recovery, is controlled and traceable. It is also stated that the waste is non-hazardous and has been tested several times. The director of Hol, Mihajlo Mirković, previously stated that the process of using waste as a substitute fuel is strictly controlled and that the company would dispose of the waste from Gospić safely.
The working group, established by the Assembly of Istra County to monitor the disposal of waste from Gospić and the quality of air around the cement plant, has requested a detailed plan of remediation, results of waste analysis, and inspection reports, as well as information on additional emissions measurements. Istra County has announced that Hol has not provided exact dates of implementation in its previous response, nor has it provided internal and external waste analysis to the working group. The company has announced that it will present documentation, technological processes and its permits at today's meeting.
The assemblywoman of the local government, Helena Lozić Dokstić, stated that the waste marked with the key number 07 02 13, i.e. waste plastic, is not among the types of waste that Hol is allowed to receive according to its permit. She also pointed out the data on the heating value and ash content of the waste. These are claims by the local government, not the final findings of the competent authorities. Hol states that it has permits for the types of waste it processes and that it will accept waste from Gospić only if it meets the prescribed conditions.
The delivery of waste from Gospić has already caused protests and blockades at the entrance to the cement plant in Koromačno. The Assembly of Istra County has already, by majority vote, requested that the government refrain from sending waste to Istria and find another solution. On Monday, citizens again tried to stop the trucks. The Fund announced on the same day that the removal of waste from Gospić had officially begun.
In Pazin, almost 13,000 tons of other waste brought in from Italy in 2019 and 2020 have been stored. Its remediation is estimated at 8.1 million euros. There is no publicly confirmed information that this waste is the one that, according to the claims of Istra 24, is being mixed with the waste from Gospić.
