What Will Happen If We Continue Burying Waste and Relying on Gas and Coal?
Bosnia and Herzegovina today faces two major problems that are often viewed separately, but in reality are deeply connected: waste and energy. One we bury underground, the other we import at high cost or produce in ways that increasingly threaten the environment, public health, and the economy.
If we continue on this path, the consequences will not be abstract or distant. They are already here — in the air we breathe, in the bills we pay, and in landfills that are filling up faster than we can rehabilitate them.
Landfills in BiH: a problem pushed underground
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, more than one million tons of municipal waste are generated every year, and over 90% of that waste ends up in landfills. Unlike most European Union countries, waste here is generally not seen as a resource, but as something that needs to be “put somewhere out of sight.”
Burying waste may seem like the simplest solution, but in reality it only postpones the problem and makes it more expensive and more dangerous. Landfills are not “dead places” — they actively pollute the environment for decades.
Methane: the biggest hidden polluter
When organic waste (food, paper, biowaste) decomposes in landfills without the presence of oxygen, methane (CH₄) is produced — a gas that is more than 80 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than CO₂ over a short time period.
The problem is that:
- most landfills in BiH do not have methane capture systems,
- methane is released uncontrollably into the atmosphere,
- part of this gas ignites, causing fires and additional pollution.
The paradox is obvious: we are burying energy underground while at the same time importing electricity and gas. Methane that is polluting the air today could be used to produce electricity and heat, but this requires a system — not improvisation.
Air pollution and rising heating costs
Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially cities such as Sarajevo, Zenica, and Banja Luka, regularly ranks among the most polluted cities in Europe during winter. The causes are well known:
- individual heating systems using coal and wood,
- outdated boiler rooms,
- district heating systems dependent on gas and heavy fuel oil,
- a lack of stable alternative heat sources.
Energy prices in recent years have shown how fragile such a system is. Heating that depends on imported gas is exposed to:
- global crises,
- political tensions,
- sudden price spikes.
Citizens feel this directly through their utility bills, but also through the air, which becomes hazardous to health in winter. Without changing heat sources, no air pollution measure can be effective in the long term.
Dependence on electricity imports: BiH’s energy vulnerability
Although BiH is often perceived as an “energy-rich” country, the reality is more complex. Hydropower depends on rainfall, thermal power plants depend on coal that is becoming increasingly expensive and problematic, and production capacities are outdated.
In years with poor hydrology and reduced output from thermal power plants, BiH is forced to import electricity at high prices. This directly burdens public companies and budgets and, in the long run, threatens energy security.
At the same time, waste that could produce stable 24/7 energy ends up in landfills.
Why the European Union is moving toward Waste-to-Energy models
More than a decade ago, the European Union clearly defined the waste management hierarchy:
- waste reduction,
- reuse and recycling,
- energy recovery from waste (Waste-to-Energy),
- landfilling — as the last option.
Today, countries such as Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and Slovenia:
- landfill no more than 10–20% of their waste,
- use waste to produce electricity and district heating,
- have stable, local, and predictable energy sources
In Vienna, Copenhagen, or Ljubljana, waste-to-energy plants are located in or near cities, under strict environmental standards and full transparency. Waste has become part of the energy system, not a problem pushed out of sight.
Time for a change in approach
Bosnia and Herzegovina can no longer afford to treat waste and energy as separate issues. Landfills are growing, air pollution is severe, energy prices are rising, and system stability is weakening.
The question is no longer whether something will have to change, but when — and at what cost.
The waste we bury today could heat homes and produce electricity tomorrow. In the following articles of this series, we will explain how this is possible, how much energy BiH could generate from waste, and what the introduction of modern Waste-to-Energy systems would concretely mean.
