EU enlargement

Fining breaches. Photo: Miro Majcen

In the mid-1990s Simon Humar was almost powerless. Legislation was patchy and imprecise and did not allow for effective prosecution. Polluters had to be brought before a court and procedures took years.

Today Humar and his colleagues can issue polluters with on the spot fines of up to 75,000 Euros. Court cases are initiated only if polluters choose to challenge the fines.

Monitoring alone. Photo: Miro Majcen

At Prilipe, banks of earth have been built up to make it harder for trucks and cars to access the site. In many cases, however, owners simply dump the waste by the road. Humar might have the power to impose fines on the spot, but it is difficult for three inspectors to supervise an area of around 2,500 square kilometres. In countries such as Great Britain, municipal dumps are frequently monitored by closed circuit cameras. Slovenia has no such plans for the moment.

Hazardous waste. Photo: Miro Majcen

A tractor trailer illegally dumped at Prilipe burns. Potentially hazardous waste – including car and truck tyres – should be safely disposed of at separate sites.

Fly-tipping. Photo: Miro Majcen

Fly-tipping, the practice of illegally dumping waste – frequently building material – at sites like Prilipe remains a constant problem.

Municipal landfill site in Prilipe. Photo: Miro Majcen

As Slovenia's economy grows it produces more waste. Most of it ends up in municipal landfill sites like this recently renovated one in Prilipe, near the town of Catez. An average Slovene produces about 439 kilograms of waste per year (2007 figures), a figure that has been steadily increasing.

EU directives now regulate the use and management of municipal waste dumps. Hazardous waste has to be placed in separate sites that are sealed so that pollution does not enter the ground soil. The Prilipe site has been levelled, and banks have been constructed to prevent illicit garbage tipping.

Black water. Photo: Miro Majcen

For the moment, though, pollution at this site has not been fully eradicated. During his inspection Humar detected black water flowing down this channel, the river Sevnicna, into the Sava. Further research revealed that the water came from an old municipal water treatment plant which currently discharges sewage from local housing – with only partial treatment – into the Sevnicna. This will cease when the houses are connected to the new wastewater treatment plant at Sevnica later this year (2009).

Tanin Sevnica. Photo: Miro Majcen

Humar visits Tanin Sevnica, which used to be another major polluter on the Sava River. The tanning factory, which extracts dies from wood, has recently built its own wastewater treatment plant.

Meeting EU standards. Photo: Miro Majcen

Slovenia has until 2015 to ensure that all wastewater treatment plants meet EU standards. This new plant has 8 water treatment basins and discharges the treated water into the Sava. Simon Humar is responsible for inspections here.

Sevnica waste water treatment plant. Photo: Miro Majcen

A new wastewater treatment plant near Sevnica, some 20 kilometres upstream, serves a settlement of some 9,000 people. Work on the plant was completed here on 9 June 2009, with the financial support of the EU. As recently as 2001, two thirds of Slovenia's water treatment plants did not meet EU standards on discharges. Many plants only gave wastewater primary treatment.

Municipal waste water. Photo: Miro Majcen

The water that now flows into the river below the plant no longer comes from Vipap. It is municipal wastewater from houses behind the factory. They will be soon connected to Vipap’s new wastewater treatment plant.