Only non-hazardous waste from the European Union can be imported into the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and importers can only be business entities that hold permits for the co-incineration of alternative fuels in industrial plants. In this case, they are Lukavac Cement d.o.o. Lukavac and Heidelberg Materials Cement BiH d.d. Kakanj, it was said to Fena news agency from the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism.
Import of non-hazardous waste
The import of non-hazardous waste is the import of RDF/SRF fuel, which represents material produced by waste processing in specialized and accredited EU facilities.
RDF (Refuse-Derived Fuel) and SRF (Solid Recovered Fuel) are alternative fuels produced by processing municipal and industrial waste.
This pre-processed non-hazardous waste is used as an alternative energy source in industrial plants – through the process of energy recovery – co-incineration.
Recycling is a process of waste processing that separates useful materials or energy, enabling their reuse. It includes the collection, processing and recycling of materials in order to obtain new raw materials, which reduces the amount of waste and saves the environment.
The material undergoes selection, processing, chemical analysis and quality control, and each shipment of RDF/SRF must meet the standard BAS EN 21640 – Solid processed fuels: specifications and classes or compatible international standards.
In 2025, the company Heidelberg Materials Cement BiH d.d. Kakanj was approved to import up to 22,125 tons of RDF/SRF fuel, of which 3,970 tons were imported, while the company Lukavac Cement d.o.o. Lukavac approved the import of up to 80,000 tons, of which 59,000 tons were imported.
Permits for cross-border traffic are issued by the Federal Ministry of the Environment and Tourism on an annual basis, in order to accurately monitor quantities.
In addition to the above, the Ministry clarifies that the permit for cross-border traffic is submitted to the Federal Administration for Inspection Affairs and the Administration for Indirect Taxation of BiH, which, in accordance with their competences, supervise the import of non-hazardous waste.
Chemical analyzes must be carried out for each shipment in authorized laboratories, and in case of deviation from the prescribed quality, the procedure for returning the shipment to the country of export is initiated.
In 2024 and 2025, five shipments of waste from Lukavac Cement d.d. were returned. Lukavac that did not meet the standards of the cement plant.
Export of non-hazardous waste
Export of non-hazardous waste from the Federation of BiH does not require an export permit from the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism.
According to the data of the Waste Management Information System, 44,600 tons of non-hazardous waste were exported from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. More than 85 percent of these exports are metal waste, primarily iron, steel, aluminum and other non-ferrous metals.
The Ministry states that changes to the regulations are planned in the coming period in order to enable greater control over the export of those types of waste that can be used in the domestic economy.
In accordance with the current legislation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and entity laws on waste management, the import of hazardous waste is prohibited, while the export of hazardous waste from BiH is only permitted through the notification procedure, with the consent of the competent institutions of the countries of export, transit and import.
Hazardous waste in FBiH can be collected and exported only from registered and authorized legal entities, with the application of prescribed environmental protection measures.
Entities registered for the collection and export of hazardous waste in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina are C.I.A.K. d.o.o. Sarajevo, KEMEKO-BH d.o.o. Lukavac, Kemokop d.o.o. Tuzla, C.R.O.A. d.o.o. Vitez, Seller d.o.o. Gradačac and EKO servis doo Tešanj.
A total of 7,899.96 tons of hazardous waste was exported from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2024. The largest quantities were exported to North Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Austria, while smaller quantities were placed in Germany, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Italy.
The most common types of exported hazardous waste are spent lead batteries, pharmaceutical and medical waste, waste oils, industrial chemicals, contaminated catalysts, paints and varnishes, and other materials that require specialized treatment.
Transit of hazardous waste
During 2024, the transit of 6,100 tons of hazardous waste from Montenegro and 150 tons from Albania through Bosnia and Herzegovina to facilities in the European Union was approved. Each transit is approved only after obtaining the consent of the competent institutions of all involved countries.
The Federal Ministry of the Environment emphasizes that all procedures are carried out under international and domestic supervision, with clearly defined quality standards, permits and control mechanisms, with the aim of protecting the environment and human health and ensuring legal waste management, Fena writes.
