Bosnian media Energetika reported that the Ministry of Environment and Tourism of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina approved the Tuzla thermal power plant to burn 100 tons of alternative fuel (RDF, mainly recycled waste such as plastics and rubber) within two days, which triggered strong protests from environmental organizations.
The general manager of the power plant, Fuad Muminovic, said that this experimental burning only accounted for 2% of the plant's daily coal consumption (5,000 tons), and the emissions will be strictly monitored and the data will be made public. He said that this move was to explore energy possibilities other than coal. However, Denis Rishko of the environmental organization "Aarhus Center" questioned: "If RDF is so safe, why doesn't Europe burn it itself but ship it to Bosnia and Herzegovina?" He pointed out that although local cement plants also burn waste, they are equipped with more advanced filtration systems, while thermal power plants cannot even meet the emission standards of conventional pollutants (sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, etc.).
The Federal Ministry of Environment emphasized that this is a test phase and will monitor emission data. However, environmentalists warned that the waste residues produced by mixed incineration may contain unknown toxicity and the experiment is suspected of violating environmental permits. Zhishko called for a shift to non-combustion energy technologies in the 21st century rather than an obsession with primitive incineration methods.
