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Environmental information systems
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The indicator shows the total generated amount of all types of waste from all economic sectors and households, and compares it with economic development measured as gross domestic product (GDP).
The total amount of waste generated in Croatia has increased over the last decade. The most recent data available provide an annual total of 7.1 Mt for 2022, indicating not only the continuation of an unfavourable trend but also a sharp increase. This trend is primarily driven by the construction sector, the waste treatment sector and households. Mineral waste (e.g. soil, construction and demolition waste), secondary waste generated during waste treatment and recyclable waste dominate as the largest waste categories.
Considering that Croatia’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew continuously between 2015 and 2022 (except for 2020), there is no indication that economic growth has been decoupled from waste generation. In recent years, significant steps have been taken to reduce the amount of waste, through implementing regulations aimed at educating the public on waste prevention, extending the life of materials, encouraging reuse and managing demolition materials from the 2020 earthquakes. This can be confirmed by the number of waste by-products recorded during the observed period, which can be considered avoided waste. Furthermore, from 2020 onwards, the increase in the amount of municipal waste, which makes up almost 30% of total waste, has slowed.
References and footnotes
- ↵Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition, ‘Poslovi nositelja statistika otpada: MZOZT, Zavod za zaštitu okoliša i prirode izrađuje statistike otpada koje objavljuje Eurostat’, Waste Management Information System Portal website, accessed 17 June 2025, https://isgo-portal.mingor.hr/hr/poslovi-nositelja-statistika-otpada.
- ↵Eurostat, ‘Gross domestic product (GDP) and main components (output, expenditure and income)’, nama_10_gdp, 13 June 2025, accessed 17 June 2025, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_gdp/default/table?lang=en.
- ↵Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, National report on the end of waste and by-products 2022, Zagreb, 2023, https://isgo-portal.mingor.hr/sites/default/files/izvjesca/2023-11/Pregled podataka o ukidanju statusa i nusproizvodima za 2022._ver 1_FINAL.pdf.
- ↵Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, National Report on Municipal Waste 2022, Zagreb, 2023, accessed 27 June 2025, https://isgo-portal.mingor.hr/hr/komunalni-otpad-odlagalista-lokacije-odbacenog-otpada.