Volunteers and divers removed 13 cubic metres of waste from the river and its banks at Delta and Žakalj. The unusual finds show how urban waste can reach the sea—but they are not a measurement of the entire Rječina.
The clean-up brought 13 cubic metres ashore
More than 170 volunteers and divers took part in a clean-up of the Rječina in Rijeka. According to the city, they removed 13 cubic metres of waste weighing a total of 3,320 kilograms. Work took place on two very different stretches: at Delta near the sea and upstream at Žakalj.
Volume and weight describe the same recovered waste from two perspectives and must not be added together. Nor is 3.3 tonnes an estimate for the entire river: the figure applies only to this operation, its locations and the material collected.
Delta accounted for most of the weight
Eight cubic metres, or 2,700 kilograms, were collected at Delta. At Žakalj, the totals were five cubic metres and 620 kilograms. A relatively small difference in volume accompanied by a much larger difference in weight shows how varied the objects and materials were.
The breakdown does not prove that one stretch is generally more polluted. Access, visibility, water depth, current and the selected search areas all affect what can be found during one day. A reliable comparison would require repeated, standardised surveys.
Four boats and six e-scooters were lying in the river
The list of finds is unusually specific: four boats, six electric scooters, one motor scooter, a bicycle, three batteries, tyres, glass and fishing equipment. The large objects in particular show that river waste is not limited to packaging.
The statement does not reveal where each object came from or how long it had been in the water. An e-scooter may have been thrown in deliberately, moved by flooding or swept down from another stretch. Recovery documents the find, not automatically the act or the person responsible.
After two coastal operations, the initiative moved to the river
The participating initiative had previously organised two coastal clean-ups and has now focused on the Rječina for the first time. That sequence is especially meaningful in Rijeka: the short river flows directly through the city into Kvarner Bay.
Waste left in the river can be transported farther during high water or heavy rain. A river clean-up is therefore also marine protection. It cannot replace regular waste collection, checks at known dumping sites or technical barriers where these are environmentally and hydraulically appropriate.
Divers reach what remains invisible from the bank
Heavy objects, lines, glass and metal can accumulate underwater where they are barely visible from the shore. Divers can mark and recover such finds, but they need safety cover, surface support and planned transport. An improvised private attempt is not a good idea.
Batteries and unknown containers belong in expert hands. Anyone finding waste in a river should report its location, type and possible danger to the city, municipal service or 112 if there is an immediate hazard. Entering a current or pulling out heavy objects can endanger people and cause additional damage to the waterway.
A clean-up day is visible; prevention is quieter
Recovered boats and vehicles create striking images. Lasting effects begin only when sites are analysed, repeat dumping spots are monitored and disposal routes improve. Accessible collection points, clear responsibilities and sanctions for illegal dumping are all part of that work.
The statement contains no time series showing improvement or deterioration. It would also go too far to claim that the Rječina is now clean. What is documented is a substantial, specific removal and cooperation among many participants.
How to keep the figure journalistically honest
The 3,320 kilograms are the weighed result of this clean-up. They are neither the annual input into the Adriatic nor the quantity remaining in the river. The volume of 13 cubic metres also illustrates the logistical scale, but it does not replace an analysis of the material’s composition.
The next reliable step would be another documented operation using a comparable method or a municipal analysis of the main collection points. Until then, the most important finding remains clear: anything entering the urban river is only a few kilometres from the sea.
Evidence
Sources & date
Sources support the facts. Planning notes and recommendations are Golden Beach editorial assessments.
- Više od 170 sudionika uklonilo 3,3 tone otpada iz RječineCity of Rijeka · 8 September 2026participant count, total weight and volume, breakdown between Delta and Žakalj, list of finds and context as the first river clean-up
- Europe Direct RijekaPORIN / Europe Direct Rijeka · ongoing, checked 8 September 2026organisational context for the participating Europe Direct office
