Croatia produces around 6 million tonnes of waste a year, most of which comes from households and the construction sector. The Government of the Republic of Croatia has therefore selected the construction sector as a priority category for applying circular principles in waste management.
This is a model of production and consumption that involves sharing, lending, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing products and materials for as long as possible in order to create additional, longer-lasting value from products. Circular waste management mimics natural ecosystems, which are also “circular” – nothing is lost, it merely changes form, and in the end the loop closes – waste becomes a raw material once again. The circular economy is one of the key components of the European Green Deal, which aims to prepare the economy for a green future, strengthen its competitiveness and protect the environment at the same time.
These values have been recognised by the City of Split, and an example of good practice in the circular economy comes from the construction site of the central building of Split Technology Park, a strategic project of the City Administration.
During the demolition of the existing building, the contractor Strabag d.o.o. carefully separated waste such as wooden windows, floor coverings and insulation, as well as construction materials – the reinforced concrete structure, brick masonry walls, screed… The waste was disposed of in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations, while the construction material was stockpiled on site and will soon be put to new use.
“The construction material will be crushed to the appropriate grading and used for the fill and load-bearing layers of the temporary car park and in the building’s foundation zone,” said Strabag d.o.o., which, as a major company in the construction sector, bears responsibility for environmental protection and pursues initiatives and strategies aimed at circular waste management.
The total value of the projects “Construction and Equipping of the Central Building of Split Technology Park” and “Development of the Dračevac Zone – Split Technology Park – Dračevac” is €21,866,655.47 / HRK 164,754,315.70, of which €13,945,747.52 / HRK 105,074,234.69 is co-financed by European Union grants from the European Regional Development Fund under the Operational Programme “Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014–2020”. The project holder is the City of Split, and the projects run from December 2020/January 2021 to December 2023.
