Waste to energy

The Vinča landfill, just 15 kilometers from the center of Belgrade, is the largest unmanaged open dump left in Europe. Despite its size of 185 soccer fields, the landfill is running out of space to accommodate the 600 truckloads of household and construction waste that are delivered daily. Moreover, due to a lack of proper environmental management, pollutants are leaching from the thousands of layers of trash, contaminating the air and the water of the Danube river.

In order to align waste treatment and disposal standards with Serbian and EU regulations, the city of Belgrade plans to build new waste disposal facilities. For this purpose, the city - among other things - plans to construct a new and modern landfill, to renovate and close the existing Vinča landfill and, as the centerpiece, to construct a waste-to-energy plant. The aim is to reduce the proportion of waste that must be stored in landfills to 30% of the total amount in accordance with EU regulations. Non-recyclable waste is to be used as an energy source to produce electricity and district heating through thermal recycling.

Together with IFC and EBRD, OeEB is involved in the financing of this project. The commitment enables the city of Belgrade to introduce modern waste management that meets EU criteria, which is an important condition for the country's EU accession negotiations. The old landfill is to be rehabilitated and converted into green spaces, making an important contribution to environmental protection. The waste-to-energy plant is expected to sustainably improve energy supply and to serve as a role model for future projects.