Garbage scandal in Croatia: mass protests against mountains of garbage

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Zagreb on Friday because of an environmental scandal: In the mountainous Lika region around the town of Gospić, it is estimated that over 30,000 tons of waste have been stored on an industrial wasteland in recent years, creating a mountain of toxic waste from industrial and medical waste.

Tens of thousands of people from all over Croatia traveled to the capital Zagreb for the mass protests. Citizens' initiatives, environmental organizations, trade union associations and war veterans' associations came together under the motto “Run for Lika, run for Croatia”. The demonstrators accused the government of inaction and demanded immediate rehabilitation and cleanup of the affected landfills. They also called for a temporary ban on the import of waste and strict measures against illegal waste imports from other EU countries.

The waste is stored on rocky ground, on porous limestone, which forms beautiful stalactite caves and extensive, kilometer-long underground watercourses, which in turn feed natural wonders such as the Plitvice Lakes with crystal-clear water. These natural wonders are threatened by environmental criminals.

Previous studies have shown increased concentrations of various metals in the soil; PFAS, so-called eternal chemicals, were also discovered in groundwater. Europol discovered that shipping documents were being falsified to misidentify toxic waste as harmless recycled waste.

Where the garbage comes from is still being investigated. The authorities are investigating ten suspects and four companies who are said to have imported the waste from Slovenia, Italy and Germany and then illegally dumped it together with medical waste from Croatia.

However, environmentalists also criticize the local authorities. Although some of those responsible were arrested in 2025, this had no further consequences.

The EU directive on the protection of the environment through criminal law obliges member states to impose tough sanctions against illegal environmental dumping. Although the regulations are strict, on-site protection often fails due to a lack of staff at national environmental inspections and corrupt networks.

Many artists from Croatia performed at the large demonstration on Friday in Zagreb. However, the city, governed by a left-green coalition, was relieved that Marko Perković, stage name Thompson, was missing. This avoided militant clashes between Thompson's right-wing radical supporters and the environmentalists.