Company Solektra inherited the waste through the purchase of the former Piramida plant in Lopatinec and has already removed half of it at its own expense, but locals are concerned after the Gospić affair.
In Lopatinec, on Vladimira Nazora Street, at the site of the former Piramida plant, approximately 200 tons of waste still remain. This is material that Solektra d.o.o. found when it purchased the property about a year ago, and analyses have now also shown an elevated chlorine content.
According to classification, the waste is listed under key number 19 12 04, which denotes plastic and rubber. It consists mainly of ground-up insulation from electrical cables. Although it is not classified as hazardous waste, laboratory analyses have revealed an elevated chlorine content. This means that licensed entities specialized in managing such materials must be engaged for its disposal.
Goran Oreški, director of Solektra, emphasized in a detailed response to Net.hr that the company neither produced nor disposed of this waste. "The waste was found at the location in question, i.e., in the hall and the area around it, after Solektra took possession of the property," Oreški explained.
Solektra immediately began addressing the problem upon taking over the plant. At its own expense, it engaged a licensed company for waste collection and disposal. So far, approximately 200 tons of material have been removed from the site and properly disposed of. For this service, the company has received invoices totaling €102,838.75 excluding VAT. According to estimates, roughly the same amount of waste remains at the site.
Due to the exceptionally high costs, remediation is being carried out in phases. Solektra's plan is to remove and properly dispose of all remaining waste by the end of 2026. Oreški stressed that the company is continuously taking actions to expedite the process while complying with all regulations.
Residents of Lopatinec are closely monitoring the situation, and concern has grown further following the escalation of the waste affair in Gospić. An anonymous reader of the eMeđimurje portal sent an inquiry to the editorial team, noting that the waste, although hidden by vegetation and covered with tarpaulin, is still in the same place.
"Given the current situation in Lika, where the same type of waste was being buried and poisoning nature and water, I wonder how long we will have to wait for such waste to be properly disposed of. I hope it won't end up buried in some Međimurje field," the reader wrote.
Solektra also sought assistance from the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, but the Fund has not yet become involved in financing the remediation. Oreški particularly emphasized that the company has no intention of moving the waste to inappropriate locations or burying it; all material is handed over to licensed entities.
Anđelko Nagrajsalović, mayor of the Municipality of Sveti Juraj na Bregu, confirmed that nothing questionable is happening at the Piramida site. "They are working, cleaning, replacing windows, starting construction work... As for that waste, which also came from Italy, it is difficult to dispose of. Landfills in the country hardly accept waste anymore; it's hard to hand over even a kilogram; nobody has space," the mayor said. He added that the old bags at Piramida have been replaced with new ones and that the company intends to finish the job.
Solektra has also reported the inherited waste to the Municipal Court in Varaždin, where criminal proceedings related to the material are ongoing.
