Photo: HAZU / Screenshot: Glas Slavonije

Assistant Professor Ivan Perkov, PhD, from the Department of Sociology at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Croatian Studies, participated on 19 October in the round table “Science and the Profession in the Service of Sustainable Waste Management”, held at the Library of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU) in Zagreb. The event was organised by HAZU’s Scientific Council for Nature and Environmental Protection with the aim of opening a discussion on the role of science, professional expertise, and institutions in addressing increasingly complex environmental challenges.

The round table was moderated by Professor Aleksandra Anić Vučinić, PhD. In addition to Perkov, the participants included Associate Professor Mario Šiljeg, PhD, Professor Ivica Kisić, PhD, Associate Professor Renato Šarc, PhD, and Vjeko Bušić, a representative of a citizens’ initiative from Gospić. The discussion addressed institutional responsibility, the consideration of scientific and professional knowledge, environmental protection, and the relationship between decision-makers and local communities.

Perkov contributed a sociological perspective on waste management, emphasising that waste is not exclusively a technical and environmental issue, but also a social problem reflecting power relations, political responsibility, public trust, and the capacity of institutions to manage complex risks. He devoted particular attention to the relationships among key actors in the waste management system, the social causes of local community resistance to infrastructure projects, and the NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) phenomenon, which in Croatia is strongly linked to long-standing distrust in institutions.

His participation in the event builds on his long-standing scientific work in the fields of social ecology and the sociology of risk, as well as research presented in his book Društvo otpada (Waste Society, 2022), which was based on his doctoral dissertation on the social aspects of the waste management system in Zagreb.

Perkov also addressed the same current issue in an extensive interview for Glas Slavonije, published on 18 October under the title “Waste Has Become a Symbol of Social Irresponsibility”. In the interview with journalist Darko Jerković, he analysed the state of Croatia’s waste management system, the problems of illegal dumping, corruption and organised interests, global inequalities in the distribution of environmental risks, and shortcomings in institutional oversight.

He particularly highlighted the gap between legal regulations and their implementation, the long-standing lack of continuity in public policies, and the loss of public trust. Discussing the NIMBY phenomenon, he stressed that opposition from local communities cannot be explained solely in terms of selfishness, but must also be understood as a consequence of previous institutional failures and non-transparent decision-making.

In the interview, he also emphasised the need to create an open public sphere in which citizens, experts, political actors, and civil society can discuss issues of public interest on an equal and well-argued basis. Read the full interview here.