Buried in Lika HR

EnvironmentGospić, Lika

Buried in Lika

About 44,000 tonnes of waste lie at the former PPK Velebit industrial site in Gospić, three quarters of it buried. Investigators found metals in the soil and PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” in groundwater. The data show what is there, what has been measured and what comes next.

Explore the site cross-section
Buried underground≈ 75 %32,915 t below surface Waste on site44,065 tEvaluation from the recovery plan Drinking-water samples171No PFAS detected in any sample Estimated cleanup cost55.5 € millionwithout VAT · around 18 months

What lies beneath the surface?

Interactive cross-section
Site cross-section

Pull the probe or click anywhere in the intersection to see what's below the surface; the probe stops at the sampling sites.

The intersection can be moved horizontally.

The schematic intersection is not in measure; the depths below 30 meters are summarised. The markings above and below are part of the research concept according to which the piezometers are set, not the specified direction of flow. The star (*) denotes hazardous waste, as in the catalogue of waste. Sources: Plan of recovery (September 21, 2026), find of the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering for USKOK, HZJZ.
01Site

Two kilometres from the city centre

The former PPK Velebit site sits on the south-eastern edge of Gospić at 50 Bilajska Street, near the railway station. The cleanup covers 42,403 m² across 11 cadastral parcels. The city centre is two kilometres away in a straight line.

The location lies between the river Lika and its tributary Novčica, around 570 meters above sea level. According to the rescue plan, the general direction of underground flow in that part of the Lički field is directed north and northeast, according to the corridor of the Like, but the local direction under the landfill is not yet established. North of the location is the village of Krpani, where the PFAS in two wells are found in September.

The nearest sources of public water supply, Mrđenovac and reserved source Divoselo, are located considerably above sea level, and the location is outside their sanitary protection zones and outside the area of saving Gacka.

The landfill and its surroundings

01 / Location Map

Click anywhere on the map to see the distance from the clipboard. Zoom in with two fingers or a mouse wheel next to Ctrl.

Image 1. Illegal landfill in the PPK Velebit complex. Orange zones are an assessment from the recovery plan: the strongest impact to the 50 m from the waste, measurable to the 200 m. Circles show the distance from the centre of the landfill; the PFAS well is located around 600 meters. The arrow shows the general regional direction of underground flow according to the recovery plan.
02Waste routes

Declared as plastic for recycling

According to Europol, a suspected network led by two Croatian citizens brought waste from Italy, Slovenia and Germany into Croatia. It declared the shipments as plastic for recycling, but laboratory tests found waste legally classified as hazardous. The waste was buried or left in the open.

Italian data compiled by OBCT show that the company under investigation received waste from Italy every year from 2020 through 2024. All of it was declared under the non-hazardous waste code 19 12 04, plastic and rubber. The volume peaked in 2023 at around 9,000 tonnes. That year roughly one in every four tonnes of this waste sent from Italy to Croatia went to the company. In 2024, Italy shipped more than 120,000 tonnes of industrial waste to Croatia, three times the amount five years earlier.

Gospić was not the only location. According to USKOK, more than 6,400 tonnes were buried at a former quarry near Benkovac between October 2023 and July 2024, while paperwork showed Gospić as the destination. At least 2,890 tonnes of waste with hazardous properties from Varaždin and Gospić ended up at a landfill near Senj in 2020 and 2021. In August, Index reported a combined estimate of at least 68,000 tonnes for all known sites.

Where the waste came from, where it ended

02 / Waste path
Image 2. Country of origin is waste to Europol and locations in Croatia covered by the investigation. The line thickness corresponds to documented imports into Gospic from May 2022 to April 2024 according to USKOK; for Germany the quantity is not published (a finely broken line), and the waste has also come from Croatian companies. The area of the circle corresponds to the quantity at the location: Gospic according to the recovery plan, Benkovac according to the artist's findings, Senj according to USKOK. The lines are schematic, accurate routes are not published.
35,000t
at least, according to Europol, reported as recycling plastic (February 2025)
4€ million
minimum illegal earnings, according to Europol's assessment
1,750
waste trucks buried in Gospić, according to reconstruction of Nova TV Diaries
21
inspection supervision and punishment, and waste has been buried for years (New TV Diary)

How It Worked

Europol's statement, Italian data and USKOK's investigations describe a six-step chain. Click a step or go through them in a row.

Six steps of the waste chain

03 / Explore steps
Image 3. Description is based on Europol's statement, Italian data published by OBCT and USKOK data transmitted by media. The indictment has not yet been filed.

How many trucks is that?

Choose the quantity, vehicle and distance between the vehicle. The tractor column with the full amount from the location would stretch almost from Gospić to Zadar, counting by airline.

A column that shows the dimensions

04 / Comparison quantity
Quantity
Vehicle

Image 4. The number of vehicles is divided by load and the length of the column is the sum of the vehicle lengths (16.5 m semi-trailer tractor, 10 m truck) and spacing. Quantity: the whole location according to the recovery plan, the investigation section according to the findings of the artists and imports from Italy and Slovenia towards USKOK. Cities are drawn at an air distance from the centre of Gospić.

The investigation is ongoing and the criminal proceedings are not public. Suspects and companies are not convicted and are subject to the presumption of innocence; this view does not therefore appoint them.

03Waste

Three quarters underground

The cleanup plan estimates there are 44,065 tonnes of waste at the site. About 32,915 tonnes are buried. The material includes residues from the treatment of electrical, electronic and medical waste, as well as mixed material from mechanical and biological treatment, construction waste, plastics and fines. It is mixed with, and partly fused to, the natural soil.

44,065 tons, square per square

05 / Waste distribution
Display
  • buried mixed waste
  • Dangerous waste*
  • hazardous waste
    Image 5. Waste at the PPK Velebit location according to the recovery plan of September 21, 2026. Each square is 100 tonnes. The display "Where to go" distributes waste according to the plan; the distribution of buried waste (about 40% on thermal treatment, 34% on landfills, 18% on site) is a preliminary estimate from the plan. The quantities are estimated; the exact mass will be known only by weighing on removal.

    In the waste catalogue, each species has a six-digit key number, and the star number indicates hazardous waste. According to Italian data, waste from Italy came in without it.

    On paper

    19 12 04

    Plastics and tyres of waste treatment, non-hazardous

    Organisation

    19 12 11*

    Waste from mechanical treatment containing dangerous substances; in the buried part and 18 01 03*, infectious medical waste

    The sample inspection had another 2024.

    The State Inspectorate sampled waste in 2024 and the analysis was carried out by the Institute of Public Health "Dr. Andrija Stampar". Of 19 samples 17 did not meet the conditions for the landfill of hazardous waste. In May 2024 the inspection requested the withdrawal of the permit, the county seized it in June and in October issued a new one. Finally, on 18 February 2025, five days after the arrest.

    Results of inspection samples

    06 / Waste Analysis
    • does not meet the conditions for hazardous waste disposal
    • Satisfy
    • Shuffled waste with silophase 1, samples from 2024.5 from 5
    • Big bags and hallsphase 2, samples from 2024.4 from 5
    • Buried wastephase 3, samples from 2024.8 from 9
    • Waste in buildingsphase 4, samples from 2026.4 from 7
    Image 6. Samples of the State Inspectorate examined according to the Waste Repositories Rules. More recent analyses of the Waste Fund in bags showed that there are no hazardous properties, so this waste goes to cement. Source: Plan of recovery, table 6.
    04Soil

    Copper, lead and antimony

    For Croatia’s anti-corruption prosecutor (USKOK), experts from the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering drilled and excavated at the site and sampled waste, soil and plants. Some soil samples contained up to 9,946 mg/kg of copper, nearly 100 times the legal limit, and up to 317 mg/kg of antimony, compared with less than 1 mg/kg in natural soil.

    Measured concentrations and reference values

    07 / Metals in the ground
    • Maximum measured value
    • reference value from the results
    • MDK range for agricultural land
    Sheet
    Figure 7. The highest concentration of metals measured in the ground in the location, in milligrams per kilogram, on the logarithmic scale, on which each step is ten times higher; the linear scale shows the actual proportions. The reference values are those specified by the artist's findings. The maximum allowed quantity for agricultural soil depends on soil acidity, for copper 60–120, for lead 50–150 mg/kg (NN 71/2019); for antimony limit is not prescribed. Source: Plan recovery, according to the findings of the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering.
    Table values

    The finding records and transfer of pollution to plants and the removal of plant cover from around 17,796 m2, approximately two and a half football playgrounds, which is a permanent loss of habitat. The impact is, according to the expert's conclusion, the strongest to around 50 meters from waste, reduced but measurable to around 200 meters, and the groundwater can continue to expand. The samples of buried waste have identified the hazardous property HP14, ecotoxicity, multiple times the limit value.

    The experts caution against classifying all 37,000 tonnes in the surveyed area as definitively hazardous. The buried waste is mixed, and the cleanup plan estimates that around 40% may have hazardous properties. Until it is removed, the waste remains a hazard to soil and water.

    Same waste, other location

    In Benkovec, the artists estimated at least 6,427 tonnes of waste placed directly on the ground, without seal layers and without a flow water system, up to 4.2 metres below the surface. In the waste, it measured up to 12,200 mg/kg of copper and up to 474 mg/kg of antimony. Water at the source of Biba, Kakam, Kožlovac and Turanj Lake is healthy.

    05Groundwater

    Forever chemicals in groundwater

    PFAS are thousands of synthetic compounds with a carbon–fluorine bond, one of the strongest in organic chemistry. They break down very slowly in nature and are used in non-stick cookware, water-repellent clothing, packaging and firefighting foam. Experts found PFAS in two of the three monitoring wells near the waste site.

    PFAS by sampling site

    08 / Ground and drinking water
    • above 100 ng/L
    • determined below 100 ng/L
    • has not been established above the limit of determination
    Sheet
    Figure 8 The sum of PFAS compounds in nanograms per litre. The 100 ng/L limit is valid for the sum of 20 PFAS compounds in water for human consumption since January 2026; for underground water on the site no special limit is prescribed, so the experts use it as a benchmark. Sources: Geotechnical Faculty (pezometers), HZJZ (bunaries, dunes, water supply).
    Table values

    Short-chain compounds: PFBS, PFBA, PFPeA and PFHxA were found. They are eliminated from the body faster than the known PFOA and PFOS, but are very mobile and difficult to clean. In the piezometer K-B1 PFBS makes 86 percentage, and the same compounds were found in water and washed from waste samples.

    PFAS is measured only once, in the third sampling cycle, so these data cannot estimate the long-term trend or seasonal change. In all six samples of three piezometers, microplastics have been found, mostly in the K-B1 piezometer. The distribution of particles indicates that the aquifer enters into the bumps, by washing through cracks.

    A shallow zone and a deep aquifer

    The piezometers, deep around 30 meters, capture the shallow zone in the low-passing carbonate springs, called Jelar deposits, through which cracks flow through the water. Below it is a deeper and more expensive karst aquifer. From it draw the deep dunes of Calcite Lika; the most remote, GCL-2, deep around 350 meters and around 890 meters from the piezometer K-B1. HZJZ has sampled them August 13 and PFAS are not found.

    If there is a connection between the two zones, it is not yet known. Croatia's waters are therefore supplied with six new piezometers, two shallows and four deep ones, and additional hydrogeological research should determine the direction and speed of the underground water flow. Measurements in the rivers Face and Novčica and the accumulation of Kruščica do not show any overruns related to the location so far.

    06Drinking water

    What came out of the tap

    Since August 11, the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) has taken weekly tap-water samples in Lika-Senj County and on Pag and Rab, and sampled raw water at sources twice a month. By early October, it had analysed 171 samples. None contained PFAS above the limit of quantification.

    One point, one sample

    09 / Sampling results
    • PFAS above 100 ng/L
    • PFAS determined below 100 ng/L
    • PFAS has not been established
    Group
    Image 9. Every sample tested on PFAS is one point. Public water supply includes supply zones Gospić, Mrđenovac, Tonković source and Senj and zones on Pag and Rab. Sources: HZJZ (to October 1, 2026), Geotechnical Faculty's survey.
    Numbers in Table

    Private wells are not under regular state control. From 20 August to 9 September, HZJZ uniquely sampled 43 private water facilities: 38 wells, three cisterns and two sources. PFAS was found in two wells in Krpany, close to and downstream of the landfill: in one 301.8 ng/L, three times above the border, in another 26.5 ng/L. Owners are connected to public water supply and, according to HZJZ, do not drink that water. HZJZ pollution evaluates local and local citizens, including family farmers, are afraid of livestock and their products.

    Up to a kilometer from the HZJZ landfill site, 32 also sampled foods with 13 locations. The findings do not show general food contamination, and in seven samples tested on PFAS values were below the quantification limit.

    At the end of September, the water in the Gospić system was not correct for a short time: On September 28th, Izvoda informed users about the increased iron, manganese and aluminum due to the murkyness. HZJZ attributed this to the long-lasting drought and low water sources, with no connection to the landfill, and the water was again declared correct on October 2nd.

    07Blood samples

    What blood tests showed

    The Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament tested blood from 110 volunteers in nine EU countries and published the results on October 1. Seven of the ten Croatian participants were from Gospić. Five of those seven exceeded the 6.9 ng/mL reference value for the sum of four long-chain PFAS, as did about a quarter of all participants.

    Participants above the reference value

    10 / PFAS in blood
    • above 6.9 ng/mL
    • below
    Image 10. Participants whose PFOA, PFOS, PFNA and PFHxS counts in blood were above 6.9 ng/mL, the threshold associated with EFSA's assessment of acceptable long-term intake. Groups overlap: Gospić is part of Croatia and Croatia is part of the overall sample. Individual values are not published. Sources: Index.hr, HZJZ according to Hini.

    Blood is measured

    PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS

    Long-chained compounds held in the body for years, with ultrashorts such as TFA

    In water by the landfill found

    PFBA, PFBS, PFPea, PFHxA

    Short-chained compounds, water-movable

    Crossing the threshold does not mean that a person will get sick, but that the level above which EFSA considers acceptable for long-term exposure. HZJZ warns that the results cannot be brought in relation to waste in Gospić: it is a small number of volunteers, and research does not determine the source of exposure. In the blood, other compounds are measured from those found in groundwater along the landfill.

    According to HZJZ, research does not justify a general ban on local food and does not mean that water from public water supply is incorrect.

    08Cleanup

    Eighteen months and €55 million

    On September 22, the government presented a four-phase cleanup plan that includes temporarily covering the buried waste. The work is estimated to cost about €55.5 million before VAT. No phase is expected to take more than 13 months, and the overall cleanup is expected to take about 18 months.

    Phases are separated because each type of waste requires a different treatment and other facility, and exports of hazardous waste to other countries requires cross-border permits. The most expensive is buried waste: the plan foresees that it will be dug up in a closed facility on the location of the classification, around 40 is sent to the thermal treatment and the rest to the landfill or back to the field if it is inert.

    Four stages of disposal

    11 / recovery plan
    Phase and procedureQuantityDurationCost estimateLast known state
    Temporary overlapgeomembrane over buried waste, that rain does not flow through it20,000 m230 days0.27 million €at the beginning of October
    Ruined waste with silo*energy recovery in the EU≈ 4,500 t12 months8.8 million €artist selected September 21
    Big bagsreplacement fuel in cements in Koromačna and Našice≈ 650 t45 days0.4 million €October 5; 130 t to October 7
    Buried wasteExcavation, pre-processing and site sorting; alternative is to dig and export without pre-processing, around 11 months≈ 32,915 t13 months40 million €acquisition of preparation
    Buildings and silosA dangerous part in energy-efficient, safe to deal with; with the unknown cost of construction work≈ 6,000 t12 months6 million €After removal of waste
    Total44,065 t18 months55.5 million €
    Image 11. The recovery phase according to the plan of September 21, 2026 Estimates without VAT; for the scattered waste contract is worth 8.77 million euros. The duration of the phase runs from the introduction of the performer into work and the stages overlap in part. Sources: The recovery plan, Environment Fund, HRT.

    Earnings and bills

    Europol estimated that the illegal disposal network earned at least four million euros, at all locations together. Only the removal of waste from Gospić was estimated at almost 14 times more, and Benkovac and Senj were not included in that amount. The rehabilitation is currently being paid by countries via the Environment and Energy Efficiency Fund, and the plan is called for the "polluter pays" principle.

    Net earnings and waste disposal costs

    12 / Comparison of amount
    Image 12. Europol's assessment refers to the entire network and all locations; the cost of recovery only on Gospić, without VAT.

    The difference is clearer per tonne. Investigators say the company took plastic from one Croatian supplier at €50 per tonne. Cleanup costs about €1,259 per tonne, 25 times as much. Spread across all Croatian residents, the bill comes to about €14 per person. Spread across Gospić residents alone, it comes to almost €4,800 each.

    What Sanization Means by Ton and By Population

    13 / Cost of recovery
    Cost of recovery

    ≈ 14 €by Croatian resident

    Image 13. Download Price refers to the plastics of a Croatian supplier, according to the investigation data published by Index.hr; the cost per tonne is an estimate of the plan of around 55.5 million euros divided by 44,065 t. Population by 2021. (DSS).
    09Timeline

    From the first trucks to the cleanup

    Waste had been arriving in Lika for years, and inspectors knew about it before the arrests. The public learned the extent of the contamination when USKOK published the expert findings in August 2026.

    Period
    1. 2020.–2021.
      investigation

      Waste and the end of Seine

      According to USKOK, at least 2,890 tons of hazardous properties from Varazdin and Gospic end up at the landfill near Senj.

    2. 2022
      investigation

      What SOA knew

      Parliamentary Committee on Internal Policy Chairman Ranko Ostojic claims SOA knew about the import of waste in 2022. Chief State Attorney Ivan Turudic says DORH did not receive the SOA report.

    3. May 2022 – April 2024
      investigation

      630 shipment

      According to USKOK, from Italy to Gospić comes 12,338 tons of plastic waste in 576 shipment and from Slovenia 1,480 tonnes in 54.

    4. October 2022
      permissions and supervision

      Authorisation for hazardous waste

      The Lika-Senj County issues the company's licence to manage non-hazardous waste in Gospić.

    5. 2023
      investigation

      The peak of imports from Italy

      The company under investigation from Italy arrives around 9,000 tons of waste, all reported as harmless plastic and rubber (ISPRA, according to OBCT).

    6. June 21, 2023
      permissions and supervision

      First report to inspection

      The state inspector receives his first report, forwarded to him by the Ministry of Economy after an anonymous tip.

    7. July 28, 2023
      investigation

      Police report

      DORH receives a special report from the Ministry of the Interior on waste in Gospić.

    8. October 2023 – July 2024
      investigation

      Benkovac

      More than 6,400 tons were buried in a former quarry near Benkovec, while documents show that the waste goes to Gospić.

    9. 2023.–2024.
      permissions and supervision

      Local Logins

      Locals report frequent, often nightly truck imports and strong stench.

    10. 2024
      Find

      The inspection shall sample the waste

      19 samples of State Inspector 17 do not meet the conditions for landfill of hazardous waste.

    11. May – June 2024
      permissions and supervision

      Permission denied

      At the request of the inspection, the county takes away the permit.

    12. October 2024
      permissions and supervision

      New Permissions

      The county is issuing a new permit. The inspection at December is again requesting its withdrawal.

    13. February 13, 2025
      investigation

      Arrests

      Police, with Europol's support, arrest 13 and USKOK are opening an investigation into ten people and four companies. Europol estimates at least 35,000 tons of waste and at least four million euros of earnings.

    14. February 18, 2025
      permissions and supervision

      Permission finally revoked

      County's making a withdrawal decision five days after the arrest.

    15. March 5, 2025
      Water

      The person under control

      The monthly sampling begins at the Ostrvice Bridge, downstream of Gospić.

    16. November 3, 2025
      recovery

      The decision on recovery

      The Ministry of Environmental Protection is making a decision on the rehabilitation of sites contaminated by waste in Gospić and Bedekovčina.

    17. March 2026
      Find

      Artist's Search

      Faculty of Geotechnological Engineering teaches USKOK the location of Bilajska 50: around 37,000 tons of waste, dangerous property of HP14 and metals in the soil. The investigation extends to Senj.

    18. May – July 2026
      Find

      PFAS in piezometers

      In the third sampling cycle, PFAS measures for the first time: 200.5 ng/L in the K-B1 piezometer. In July the results are completed.

    19. August 6, 2026
      Find

      Search published

      USKOK publishes the findings of the experts, and the public finds out about PFAS in groundwater.

    20. August 10, 2026
      Policy and protest

      ‘Ekocid’

      President Zoran Milanovic calls the case an ecocidoma and seeks immediate rehabilitation and an extraordinary session of the Parliament.

    21. August 11, 2026
      Water

      Strengthening water control

      The Human Consumption Water Commission introduces weekly tap sampling and twice a month at sources.

    22. August 13, 2026
      Water

      Deep dunks without PFAS

      HZJZ is sampling the deep shades of Calcit Lika. PFAS was not found.

    23. September 5, 2026
      Policy and protest

      A protest in Zagreb

      At the protest “Walk for the Face, Walk for Croatia” tens of thousands of people are looking for a rehabilitation plan in 20 day and removal of buried waste in three months.

    24. September 9, 2026
      Find

      New Skills

      USKOK publishes the report for Benkovac and HZJZ's opinion on PFAS in Gospic.

    25. September 18, 2026
      Water

      PFAS in wells

      HZJZ announces that PFAS found PFAS in two wells in Krapany, in one 301.8 ng/L.

    26. September 21, 2026
      recovery

      Decommissioned waste artist

      The Fund selects a community of bidders to remove 4,500 tonnes of scattered waste, for 8.77 million euros without VAT.

    27. September 22, 2026
      recovery

      Cleanup plan

      The government presents the plan: 44,065 tonnes in four phases and estimates of around 55.5 million euros.

    28. September 23, 2026
      recovery

      Start overlap

      Preparations are starting for the temporary covering of buried waste with geomembrane, to be completed on 30 day.

    29. September 28 – October 2, 2026
      Water

      Mutiny water in Gospic

      Notice of non-compliance due to iron, manganese and aluminium. HZJZ attributed it to drought, not landfill.

    30. October 1, 2026
      Policy and protest

      Closed Assembly Session

      The Internal Policy and National Security Committee shall discuss the case in a closed public session.

    31. October 1, 2026
      Find

      PFAS in the blood

      Published testing of Green/ESS blood: increased levels of five of the seven tested from Gospić. HZJZ: results cannot be associated with waste.

    32. October 5, 2026
      recovery

      The transport begins

      The first trucks with harmless waste from the bags are heading for the cements in Koromačna and Našica.

    33. October 7, 2026
      recovery

      130 ton

      Locals complain about dust and smell; public procurement of a measuring station for air quality is still ongoing.

    34. October 9, 2026
      investigation

      Third extension of the investigation

      The investigation is extended to five others and four companies, and five were released after the investigation. According to the media, among them a member of the board of one of the community's companies selected to dispose of scattered waste.

    35. October 10, 2026
      recovery

      Measured air station

      The location contains a station measuring floating particles PM10 and PM2, 5 and metals in them.

    36. October 14, 2026
      Water

      171 sample without PFAS

      HZJZ: no public water supply sample of August 11 PFAS was found above the limit of determination.

    10Questions and Answers

    What is known and what remains open

    Is the water from the plumbing in Gospić safe for a drink?

    According to HZJZ it is. In the 171 sample of August 11 PFAS not found. The location is outside the zone of the sanitary protection of the source, and the nearest source, Mrđenovac and reserved source Divoselo, are located upstream. The short non-conformity at the end of September refers to the blurryness and metals due to drought, not to the landfill.

    Did the pollution get to Lika?

    So far, no evidence. The recovery plan indicates that measurements in Face, Novčica and Kruščica do not show any location-related excesses. The character of March 2025 is sampled every month at the Ostrvica Bridge, and Novčica before the attack in Luc is sampled in August 2026

    Is all the waste dangerous?

    That has not been established. Experts say the evidence does not justify classifying all 37,000 tonnes in the surveyed area as hazardous. Tests did confirm hazardous properties in representative buried samples and in loose waste near the silo. The plan estimates around 40% of the buried waste may be hazardous. Testing during excavation will determine the exact share.

    Why doesn't the waste be disposed of immediately?

    Minister of Environment Marija Vukkovic said in August that an emergency remediation of such a variety of waste does not exist. Each species seeks a different treatment and facility, hazardous waste must be carried out with cross-border permits, and the first tender for scattered waste did not receive any offer. According to the analyses published by the Index, the proportion of chlorine in the waste ranges from 2 to almost 12 percentage, making it difficult to burn, so many plants reject it. Therefore, the buried waste is now covered, so that the rain does not wash the pollution underground.

    Will the soil and water be the same after the rehabilitation?

    Recovery will take time. Removing the waste removes the source of contamination, but experts say monitoring will be needed for several years. PFAS and microplastics already underground cannot be removed completely.

    Is the increase in radioactive strontium associated with waste?

    There is no evidence of that. The Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health measured an increase in strontium-90 activity in surface soil in Gospić, from 24.5 Bq/m² in 2023 to 260 Bq/m² in 2025. The monitoring point is about 7.6 km from the waste site. Strontium-90 in soil comes from nuclear weapons tests and the Chernobyl accident and is unevenly distributed. Croatia’s Interior Ministry says there is no evidence of increased soil radioactivity and that the 2025 reading was below the 440 Bq/m² measured in 2003.

    Why are the numbers different: 33,000, 35,000, 37,000 or 44,000 tonnes?

    These are estimates of different parts in different moments. About 33,000 tonnes refers to buried waste (restoration plan: 32,915 t, The Fund on its site indicates almost 35,000). The expert's findings were estimated around 37,000 tonnes on the explored part, buried waste and piled up by the silo. Europol's minimum 35,000 tonnes refer to the entire investigation from 2025. The recovery plan comprises all four parts: 44,065 tonnes. The exact mass will be known only by weighing on removal.

    11Sources and methodologies

    Sources

    The quantities, costs and results of the analysis were taken from official documents and reports and from media reports on USKOK's findings. Maps were made from the data of OpenStreetMap and Natural Earth.

    1. Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition, Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency, Croatian Waters, Institute of Water "Josip Juraj Strossmayer", DHMZ (September 21, 2026). PDF
    2. Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund. The rehabilitation is waste on the site of the former PPK Velebit (Gospić). fzoeu.hr
    3. Faculty of Geotechnics of the University of Zagreb (2026.). The find and opinion of environmentalists for the location of the industrial complex Gospić, Bilijska 50, and supplement; published by USKOK. According to: The character online (August 6, 2026), USKOK published the report for Gospić. character-online.hr
    4. Net.hr (September 9, 2026). These are the most important facts and conclusions of the new USKOK's research. net.hr
    5. World Security (2026.). Who is responsible for the huge pollution from discarded waste in the Face? world security.com
    6. AP, according to Europol (February 14, 2025). 13 people arrested in Croatia for illegally distributing of gambling waste, Europol says. Yahoo.com
    7. Abà M. i Leković S. (October 14, 2026). From Italy to Gospić: the journey of nowhere. OBCT. balcanicaucaso.org
    8. Index.hr (October 10, 2026). USKOK published the extended investigation of waste. index.hr
    9. Dnevnik.hr (August 2026). How did he set up the system? Despite 21 inspection supervision and punishments, hazardous waste has been buried in Gospić for years. diary.hr
    10. Wikipedia in Croatian. Illegal disposal of waste in the PPK Velebit complex (Gospić), review of permits and controls. hr.wikipedia.org
    11. HZJZ, according to Index.hr (September 19, 2026). Several wells near Gospić found "eternal chemical". index.hr
    12. HZJZ, according to Hini and New List (October 14, 2026). PFAS in Face below the border in all analyzed water samples. novilist.hr
    13. Dnevnik.hr (September 2026). New water findings from the tap: analyzed 150 samples. log.hr
    14. HRT (September 2026). The wells near Gospić are polluted; OPGs: The government and the state have failed us. news.hr
    15. Net.hr, according to Hini (September 21, 2026). Thousands of tons of waste are leaving Gospić and Poznanovec. net.hr
    16. RTL Today (September 22, 2026). We bring a detailed overview of the Government waste recovery plan. net.hr
    17. HRT (October 5, 2026). Start recovery of waste from PPK Velebit: 650 tonnes is exported to cement plants. news.hr
    18. Dnevnik.hr (October 7, 2026). Removed 130 tons of hazardous waste from Gospić. log.hr
    19. Index.hr (August 2026). Vučkovic: There is no urgent recovery of this in Gospić. index.hr
    20. tportal (August 10, 2026). Milanović sent a message to the Government. tportal.hr
    21. Al Jazeera (September 5, 2026). Thousands protest in Croatia to demand government clean up toxic waste. alazeera.com
    22. Croatia Week (September 2026). Tension of thousands gater and Zagreb over Lika iste crisis. croatiaweek.com
    23. Regulations on the protection of agricultural land from pollution. National newspaper 71/2019. national-novine.n.hr
    24. Directive (EU) 2020/2184 on water quality for human consumption. eur-lex.europa.eu
    25. Brandel S. i sur. (2018). Short-chain perfluoroalkyl acid: environmental concerts and a strategy regulators under REACH. Environmental Sciences Europe . doi:10.1186/s12302-018-018-0134-4
    26. Index.hr (August 10, 2026). Where and how did dozens of tons of hazardous waste end up in Croatia? index.hr
    27. Index.hr (August 10, 2026). Everyone talks about Our Lady: where did the rest of the hazardous waste end? index.hr
    28. Index.hr (August 11, 2026). Why does no one want to download waste from Gospić? index.hr
    29. RTL Today (October 1, 2026). Here is when the State Inspectorate received a report on waste in Gospić. net.hr
    30. HRT (October 6, 2026). Turudic: illegal waste enters Croatia declared as ordinary waste. news.hr
    31. HRT (September 23, 2026). The first phase of waste recovery started in Gospić. news.hr
    32. Index.hr (October 2026). Croats tested for eternal chemicals: found in all, with most too. index.hr
    33. HZJZ, according to Hini and New List (October 1, 2026). PFAS findings in the blood from Gospić cannot be associated with the waste. novilist.hr
    34. New list (October 10, 2026). A station for monitoring air quality is set up at the site of an illegal landfill in Gospić. novilist.hr
    35. Index.hr (October 2026). Measured increase in radioactive strontium in Gospić; MUP: growth is not worrying. index.hr , index.hr
    36. State Statistical Office (September 22, 2022). Final results Description 2021. dzs.gov.hr
    37. OpenStreetMap, © Associates OpenStreetMap, ODbL; Natural Earth, country borders 1:10 million.