Karlovac rangers released footage of illegal fecal waste dumping near the Mrežnica River, while the investigation into the ecological disaster in Lika intensifies with political accusations from Bruna Orešković against HDZ.
As Croatia grapples with the aftermath of the ecological disaster in Lika, where hazardous PFAS compounds were discovered in groundwater, new alarming footage emerges from Karlovac County. Karlovac rangers, volunteers monitoring the state of nature, posted videos on social media on Saturday that they claim show illegal fecal waste dumping in the middle of a forest near Donje Primišlje, close to the Mrežnica River.
In one of the videos, rangers spotted a small tanker moving along forest roads near where large quantities of fecal waste were found. "Oh no, buddy, that won't fly... institutions, get to work... we have enough material to fill the entire Goli Otok," the rangers wrote in a post accompanying the video. When they pursued the tanker, its occupants, according to the account, began to flee through the forest and at one point simply stopped. The footage itself does not prove that the fecal waste was dumped from that specific tanker, but the rangers deemed the situation highly suspicious. They also noted that the fecal waste was dumped at multiple locations and that the entire forest reeks unbearably.
"Teams that deliberately come to Karlovac rivers, know that it's over now. Leave your own shit in your own backyard," the rangers said, adding that they have been monitoring the situation for some time and that such cases will no longer go unnoticed.
Media have linked the vehicle in the footage to the company Teranlux, which was contracted to manage fecal waste from the party-oriented Modem festival on the banks of the Mrežnica. Festival director Tomislav Sijarto is in shock and rejects any possibility that organizers knew about such practices. He explained that the festival does not own a vehicle for transporting contents from portable toilets, but rather entrusts this job to Teranlux, whose director is Tihomir Terzić.
"The Modem festival does not own a fecal waste disposal vehicle and always hires an external company for that. We paid them 31,875 euros for their services, and in three years of cooperation, we had no issues. Terzić told me that the collector is in Karlovac. Any claims that we had knowledge of such fecal waste dumping are unacceptable," Sijarto told Jutarnji list. According to documentation, Teranlux was responsible for setting up, maintaining, and emptying 170 portable toilet cabins. The rangers also warned of a possible exceedance of visitor numbers: "How many people are you licensed to host at the festival? 7,000? How many of you are there, over 8,000?"
This case comes amid a heated debate over the ecological disaster in Lika. Due to significant public interest, USKOK released the findings of an expert analysis by the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering for the industrial complex in Bilajska Street in Gospić. The documentation, over 350 pages, revealed the presence of PFAS compounds in groundwater. The highest total concentration was 200.5 nanograms per liter, twice the parametric value of 100 nanograms set for water intended for human consumption. Experts declared the site a "very likely source of PFAS migration into the underground aquifer."
Former Member of Parliament Bruna Orešković on Saturday posted a video of her parliamentary question from April 23, 2025, on Facebook, claiming she had already warned of the dangers at that time. In a sharp post, she directly accused the ruling party. "Today, the media write that the mafia endangered national security through poison smuggling. That is true. However, the conclusion that HDZ is that mafia threatening us is missing," she wrote.
Orešković linked environmental poisoning to the enrichment of private clinics treating oncology patients, accusing HDZ of systematically weakening institutions such as the Commission for Conflict of Interest and the State Attorney's Office. "Poisoning with forever chemicals and heavy metals in illegal waste, and the enrichment of private clinics treating an increased number of oncology patients, along with the destruction of the capacity of state institutions and bodies to protect the public interest and citizens, are the two sides of the same coin of HDZ's policies," she asserted.
USKOK opened an investigation against ten individuals and four companies back in February 2025. The group is suspected of importing ground plastic and other mixed waste from Slovenia and Italy, as well as taking over medical and other waste from Croatia, which was then illegally buried or left in the open in Varaždin, Gospić, and Benkovac. In March 2026, the investigation was expanded to include new suspects and the disposal of at least 2,640 tons of waste in the Senj area. At the Gospić site, at least 5,792 tons of illegally stored waste were found.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated on Saturday that all those responsible must answer. "The Ministry of Environment and Green Transition and the Environmental Protection Fund have the task of remediating this waste, but it must be done through a lawful and transparent procedure. Just as we resolved the baled waste in Varaždin, we will resolve this problem in Lika as well," Plenković said, adding that the job should be done by companies with experience and references.
Orešković, commenting on her position, concluded that she regrets no longer having a parliamentary club because she has fewer opportunities for direct questions to the Prime Minister. "As I have shown countless times, I will find a way," she said.
