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Donje Kolibe Landfill, Brod
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Donje Kolibe Landfill

Above remediation value

Brod Landfill Site ID: BiH-RS-26 Report date: 2025-10-09

Note. This is a preliminary assessment. The general conclusion of the report is that the location requires further detailed analysis. The data shown is not a final risk determination.

Media tested

  • Soil
  • Subsoil
  • Water

Summary

Donje Kolibe is an open, unremediated landfill in the Kolibe Donje settlement near Brod, formed by dumping municipal and construction waste alongside a local road. It covers about fourteen hectares, has an earth surface and no technical infrastructure, and single households and farmland lie around it. Testing produced two most-serious findings: selenium in the surface soil, and nickel in the deeper soil, reached a level indicating a need for cleanup. Selenium was also strongly elevated in both nearby lakes, and nickel in one. Cadmium was above the level at which land is no longer considered clean throughout the soil, and several other metals in the deeper layer.

Assessment findings

Findings of concern

  • Selenium reached a level indicating a need for cleanup in the surface soil and was strongly elevated in the water of both nearby lakes, where it did not meet the prescribed limits.
  • Nickel reached a level indicating a need for cleanup in the deeper soil layer, and in the water of one lake it did not meet the prescribed limit.
  • Cadmium was above the level at which land is no longer considered clean throughout the soil, and cobalt, copper and chromium in the deeper layer, with mercury in one surface-soil sample.

Positive findings

  • Apart from selenium in the surface soil and nickel in the deeper layer, no tested substance in the soil reached the level indicating a need for cleanup.
  • Lead and zinc in the soil were within the prescribed limits, as were oil-related pollutants and combustion-related compounds.
  • Apart from selenium, and apart from nickel in one lake, all tested substances in the water of both lakes met the prescribed quality limits.

Photo gallery

The project results have been submitted to the competent institutions as a basis for improving regulation and for strategic planning of further activities.

Legal basis

  • Rulebook on limit and remediation values of polluting, harmful and hazardous substances in soil (Official Gazette of RS No. 82/21)
  • Decree on water classification and watercourse categorization (Official Gazette of RS No. 42/01)

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The Catalysing the Green Transition in Bosnia and Herzegovina Portfolio (GTP) is a joint initiative of the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, led by UNDP, and co-chaired by the UN Resident Coordinator and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH, with the support and strategic partnership of Sweden and the Government of Switzerland. It brings together UN agencies, including FAO, ILO, UNECE, UNEP, UNODC and UN Women, along with national institutions and authorities at all levels, to drive the country’s green, inclusive, and sustainable transition across four key areas: decarbonization, depollution, biodiversity and nature, and circular economy.