Plastic Smart Cities Croatia – Dubrovnik
Croatia has the third highest per capita waste generation in the Mediterranean and generates 400,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year. One of the key waste sources identified is tourism and thus the Plastic Smart Cities project is aimed at targeting foreign and domestic tourists.
The implementation of the Plastic Smart Cities Croatia project began on 1 January 1 2020, which aims to reduce plastic waste in the sea. The city of Dubrovnik joined this initiative in July 2020 and on 15 April 15 2021, it formally adopted the first plan of actions to tackle its plastic pollution by 2026, including key measures to reduce waste production and improve waste collection and disposal.
The plan was signed by mayor Mato Frankovic in cooperation with the Association of Nature, WWF Mediterranean and the Association Sunce. It was designed using a baseline analysis of governing plastic waste in Dubrovnik, as well as the use of single-use plastics in institutions.
The city has committed to reducing its amount of disposed waste by 30% in a pilot area by 2022 and by 55% city-wide by 2025. Measures in the plan include
- a door-to-door waste collection system in the urban settlements o Zaton Veiki, Zaton Mali, Stikovica and Bosanka
- improving the collection and disposal of compostable and biodegradable plastic waste
- designing, financing and implementing a reuse centre in the city
- adopting legal measures for limiting the use of disposable plastic in all public companies and institutions
In August 2021, the City Council of Dubrovnik adopted the “Decision on Restricting the Use of Disposable Plastics”, which limits the use of single-use plastics for all public companies and institutions in the city.