![Thousands protest the delayed cleanup of illegally dumped hazardous waste in Croatia's Lika region, in Zagreb, Croatia, on September 5, 2026 [Borut Zivulovic/Reuters]](https://i0.wp.com/wifeynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/17886353510374468637201203996181.jpg?fit=720%2C480&ssl=1)
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Zagreb in one of Croatia’s biggest demonstrations in years, demanding urgent government action over a huge illegal dump of hazardous waste that has triggered growing fears about environmental damage in the country’s mountainous Lika region.
The protesters gathered in the Croatian capital on Saturday as public anger intensified over the authorities’ handling of more than 30,000 tonnes of waste allegedly buried near the town of Gospic. The material is reported to include medical and industrial waste brought into Croatia from other parts of the European Union.
What began as an environmental controversy has increasingly developed into a wider political challenge to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s conservative government. Opposition figures and protesters have accused the administration of moving too slowly and questioned whether authorities have been transparent about the scale and potential consequences of the pollution.
The government, however, says steps are now being taken to remove the waste. Plenkovic visited the affected site last week and announced that a contractor had been selected to begin the cleanup, describing the decision as the first stage of the government’s response to the scandal.
The dispute has nevertheless continued because government assurances about the condition of the surrounding environment have come under pressure from findings by Croatia’s anticorruption agency.
Hazardous waste imported into Croatia
The waste controversy centres on an abandoned industrial site outside Gospic, where investigators say tens of thousands of tonnes of material were illegally brought into the country and dumped.
Police and Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, arrested 13 people in February in connection with the alleged scheme. Authorities said the waste had been imported from elsewhere in the bloc since 2023 before being disposed of illegally.
Investigators estimated that those suspected of involvement made more than $4 million from the operation before it was uncovered.
The arrests placed the issue firmly on the national agenda, but the controversy has since expanded beyond the criminal investigation. Residents and environmental campaigners are demanding answers about how such a large quantity of potentially hazardous material could have accumulated without being removed earlier.
For communities in and around Lika, the issue is also about the long-term future of an area valued for its relatively unspoiled mountainous landscape and natural environment.
The protesters argue that the government’s response has not matched the scale of the problem and want the entire stockpile removed rather than relying on a gradual or limited intervention.
![Protesters in Zagreb warn of risks to groundwater and public health [Borut Zivulovic/Reuters]](https://i0.wp.com/wifeynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2026-09-05t100922z_568742066_rc2ycnaxzunu_rtrmadp_3_croatia-protests-178862708960100839036331306.jpg?resize=640%2C427&ssl=1)
Conflicting assessments over contamination
A major source of tension is the disagreement over whether the waste has already contaminated the surrounding environment.
Croatian officials have said testing of soil and water around Gospic has not detected contamination. The government’s position has been used to reassure residents that the situation does not represent an immediate environmental catastrophe.
But an assessment released last month by Croatia’s anticorruption agency presented a different picture. The agency reported elevated levels of metals in soil and also detected PFAS chemicals in nearby groundwater.
PFAS, commonly described as “forever chemicals”, are a broad group of substances known for their persistence in the environment. Their detection has added to concerns about what could happen if pollutants move through the region’s soil and water systems.
The conflicting assessments have deepened public distrust. While the government has pointed to its testing as evidence that the situation is under control, campaigners and protesters have cited the anticorruption agency’s findings as a reason for demanding a much more comprehensive cleanup and investigation.
Environmental specialists have indicated that the effects remain local so far, but they have warned that the characteristics of the region could create longer-term risks. The area’s porous terrain and river systems could potentially facilitate the movement of pollutants, raising concerns about whether contamination could eventually reach the Adriatic Sea.
That possibility is particularly significant for a region whose economy and identity are closely connected to its natural environment and tourism.
Protesters set strict cleanup demands
The scale of Saturday’s demonstration reflected the depth of frustration among residents and supporters who believe the government has taken too long to address the problem.
Crowds gathered in Zagreb’s main square carrying their demands for a definitive cleanup programme rather than further assurances. Organisers called on the authorities to produce a complete plan within 20 days, backed by binding deadlines, and to remove all of the buried waste within three months.
For many demonstrators, the controversy is no longer simply about waste management. They argue that the existence of such a large illegal dumping operation raises fundamental questions about oversight, enforcement and accountability within government institutions.
Ivan Rittinger, one of the protesters, expressed that anger by rejecting the description of the situation as an accident.
“This is not a tragedy, this is a crime,” he told The Associated Press, arguing that people had made money from the operation while officials failed to act.
Vjekoslav Busic, head of the Gospic Is Our Home community group that organised the demonstration, also sought to broaden the discussion beyond individual officials. Addressing protesters, he questioned who had created and staffed the institutions that allowed the alleged pollution to continue for so long.
His comments reflected a wider sentiment among demonstrators that accountability should not end with those already arrested in connection with the waste operation.
Political opposition joins environmental campaign
The protest also attracted politicians from different parts of Croatia’s political spectrum, underlining how the waste scandal has moved beyond a single environmental campaign.
Representatives of the centre-left Social Democratic Party attended, as did members of Most, a smaller political movement known for its anticorruption stance. Their presence gave the demonstration an additional political dimension as opposition forces sought to highlight what they describe as government failures in dealing with the waste.
Croatian actor Rade Serbedzija was also among those associated with the rally, reflecting the extent to which the controversy has generated public concern outside conventional political circles.
The government has rejected suggestions that the scandal demonstrates broader institutional failure. Plenkovic has accused political opponents of attempting to exploit the controversy for their own purposes.
But with prosecutors continuing to investigate a Croatian company suspected of burying toxic material at several locations beyond the Gospic site, pressure on the government is unlikely to disappear quickly.
The criminal investigation and the environmental dispute are now running alongside one another, leaving authorities facing demands not only to establish who was responsible for the illegal dumping but also to demonstrate that the affected areas will be properly restored.
Government promises removal of waste
Plenkovic’s visit to the site last week was intended to demonstrate that the government is responding to the crisis. The selection of a contractor to begin removing the waste represents the first stage of the cleanup promised by the authorities.
However, protesters are demanding considerably more than the announcement of a contractor. Their three-month deadline for removing the buried waste reflects their lack of confidence in a process without clear and enforceable targets.
The government is therefore facing pressure on two fronts: to remove the hazardous material and to resolve the questions surrounding conflicting environmental assessments.
For residents, the central concern remains whether the waste can be removed before pollutants spread further into the surrounding environment. For opposition parties and campaigners, the controversy has also become a test of transparency and institutional accountability.
The arrests earlier this year established that the waste was allegedly connected to an organised illegal operation that generated millions of dollars. The continuing dispute is now focused on how the material was allowed to remain in place and whether the authorities acted quickly enough once its presence became known.
As the investigation continues, Saturday’s mass demonstration has made clear that public patience is running thin. Protesters want the government to move from assurances to measurable action, with deadlines for the cleanup and greater clarity over the environmental findings.
Until the waste is removed and the competing claims about contamination are fully addressed, the Gospic controversy is likely to remain both an environmental concern and a significant political issue for Croatia’s government.
