Where exactly are the trash-filled rest areas located?

The rest areas are located at the Dupci Pass between Omiška Dinara and Biokovo, along the Adriatic Highway, with a view of Vruja Cove between Pisak and Brela.

How long has the trash problem in this area persisted?

The problem has repeated year after year, and the amount of trash on the slopes is increasing because municipal services do not respond in a timely manner.

What impact does the trash have on the environment?

The wind carries plastic waste down the slopes toward the cove and the sea, and microplastics have long been found in the stomachs of key fish species in the Adriatic.

Local

Waste at the Dupci Pass: Bura Scatters Trash Toward Vruja, Turning a Tourist View into an Embarrassment

L.M. · Prije 1h | 3 min

Rest areas at Dupci and above Vruja Cove are buried in waste, with wind carrying plastic down the slopes toward the sea. While tourists enjoy views of Brač and Hvar, municipal services remain unresponsive to the accumulation of garbage that has persisted for years.

Summary

Rest areas at Dupci and above Vruja Cove have been buried in trash for years, with wind carrying it toward the sea.
Municipal services fail to respond to overflowing bins, and tourist signage is covered in fan stickers.
The Toi Toi toilet at the rest area sits in over 40 degrees Celsius all day without maintenance.
It took the state 20 years to react to illegal construction in Vruja, but for trash, the solution is simple-collect it or close the rest areas.

Make 5MIN.hr a preferred source

One of the most beautiful viewpoints along the Adriatic Highway, at the rest area on the Dupci Pass between Omiška Dinara and Biokovo, has been marred for years by a sight that stings the eyes. Trash bins are overflowing, and waste piles up on all sides as the bura wind scatters plastic bottles, bags, and packaging down the steep, hard-to-reach slopes toward the mythical Vruja Cove and the sea.

A Tourist Postcard Buried in Garbage

From the rest area along the Adriatic Highway, there is a spectacular view of the islands of Brač and Hvar, the mountains, and Vruja Cove between Pisak and Brela. But instead of travelers stopping to enjoy the untouched nature, they are greeted by a shameful sight. If you look a bit lower, you will see all the sorrow of a land that lives off tourism-bottles, various packaging, and other waste scattered everywhere.

On the inaccessible slopes, the wind has scattered trash that no one collects. It is clear that the bura wind cares more about the waste than the municipal services do, and the problem repeats and worsens year after year.

Toi Toi Toilet at 40 Degrees and Defaced Signs

Even the brown tourist signage has not been spared neglect. The signs are covered with numerous stickers, dominated by emblems of fan and hooligan groups from all over Europe. Particularly concerning is the state of the Toi Toi toilet-a plastic box that sits in over 40 degrees Celsius all day, and whose smell one dares not even describe.

The question arises as to what kind of people live here when they do not care for such beauty. However, responsibility also lies with the relevant authorities, who clearly fail to address this long-standing problem.

Twenty Years for Devastation, a Simple Solution for Trash

It took the state nearly twenty years to realize that entrepreneur Stipe Latković was illegally building and causing devastation in Vruja, the consequences of which are still visible today. With trash, however, it should be simpler-just pick it up.

If we are unable to maintain the rest areas, the solution is simple: place concrete barriers and close them off. Tourists can look at them in photos, given how some of them behave. Litter in nature, especially in the sea, is unforgiving-microplastics have long been found in the stomachs of key fish species in the Adriatic.