Thanks to Naue’s geosynthetics, the old landfill will become a green hill that blends perfectly into the landscape of the idyllic coastal region

The Croatian municipality of Matulji is an idyllic seaside resort on the Kvarner Bay in north-western Croatia, approx. 13km northwest of the city of Rijeka. The Osojnica landfill is located about 5km from the northwest in a forest area at the foot of the Učka mountain. Since 1967 municipal waste from the entire coastal region of Liburnia has been deposited at this location. The estimated amount of waste is around 475,000m³ and covers an area of around 31,800m².

In October 2019, Naue’s Croatian partner G.T. Trade received the order for the rehabilitation of the old landfill. The work began in April 2020 and included, on the one hand, the relocation of approx. 150,000m³ of waste in the boundary area of the landfill to build a gabion wall. This new structure will enclose the rehabilitated landfill with a height of up to 22m over a length of 242m. The retaining wall, reinforced in layers with high-strength uniaxial Secugrid® 150/40 R6 PET geogrids, increases the stability of the landfill body and creates additional landfill volume via its steep 80° inclined facing system, which was necessary due to the mass relocation.

The geosynthetic sealing system helps to reduce future pollutant emissions into soil, water and air

An essential part of the rehabilitation works was to seal and recultivate the surface of the old landfill in order to prevent infiltration of rainwater and counteract the formation of polluted seepage water. The capping sealing system consisted of a Bentofix® geosynthetic clay liner, a Secudrain® drainage mat for safe drainage of rainwater and a Secumat® erosion control mat in combination with cover soil. The geosynthetic sealing system makes a significant contribution to reducing future pollutant emissions into soil, water and air. To prevent sliding of the cover soil on top of the geosynthetic drainage mat, Secugrid® 80/20 R6 was used as veneer reinforcement.

The costs for the rehabilitation and closure of the landfill are around 5.2 million Euros. The municipality of Matulji received grants from the “European Structural and Investment Fund” in the amount of approx. 4 million Euros and around 0.5 million Euros from the Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency of the Croatian Ministry of Environment and Energy.

The rehabilitation works on the Osojnica landfill were successfully completed in October 2021. Not least thanks to the use of Naue geosynthetics, the old landfill will be turned into a green hill in the future, which will fit perfectly into the landscape of the idyllic coastal region of the Kvarner Bay. Odours caused by the landfill in the Matulji community will definitely be a thing of the past.