Meet the Croatian woman turning waste wool into green fertilizer

(20 Nov 2025)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Udbina, Croatia, 5 November 2025

1. Krbava field in Lika region in central Croatia
2. Shepherd driving sheep to pasture
3. Flock of sheep
4. Close of sheep

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Otocac, Croatia – 5 November 2025

5. Exterior of wool fertilizer production plant
6. Pan of bags full of wool
7. Setup shot of Dragica Jerkov
8. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Dragica Jerkov, plant owner:
"When we started the factory, we had no idea it was addressing a global problem. We only realized it when we began attending innovation fairs. That’s when it became clear that we had solved something no one else in the world had managed to solve in the way we did.”

9. Worker cleaning raw waste sheep wool with a machine
10. Wool on conveyor belt being fed into cleaning machine
11. Dragica Jerkov supervising a worker
12. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Dragica Jerkov, plant owner:
"In the tent, the wool must rest for two months to allow any parasites and pests to die off. Then we use our patented industrial comber to remove impurities as well as any remaining pests and parasites, ensuring they won’t be ground into the fertilizer later. After that, ozone-thermal sterilization takes place, lasting about two hours and reaching temperatures of up to 150 degrees Celsius. Once sterilized, the wool is chopped and pelletized."

13. Cleaned wool coming out of machine
14. Worker controlling raw wool sterilization machine
15. Worker collecting sterilized wool

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Zagreb, Croatia – 4 November 2025

16. Sign for University of Zagreb Agriculture faculty
17. Various setup shots of Gabrijel Ondrašek, Professor at the Faculty of Agriculture
18. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Gabrijel Ondrašek, Professor at the Faculty of Agriculture:
"After sterilization, the wool can definitely be considered a high-quality organic fertilizer because it is, above all, safe to use and free from harmful side effects. Of course, it’s very important to determine the correct doses and timing for each crop so that its use can be optimized for every type of plant production."

19. Professor watering prototypes of wool-based growing substances
20. Close of watering

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Otocac, Croatia – 5 November 2025

21. Worker pushing sterilized wool in cart
22. Worker feeding wool into a machine
23. Close of worker’s hands and wool
24. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Dragica Jerkov, plant owner:
"I believe this is the best example of a circular economy. We have transformed something that no one saw as valuable, what many would call, in quotes, waste, into a high-quality nitrogen fertilizer."

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Udbina, Croatia - 5 November 2025

25. Flock of sheep
26. Sheep running away from dog
27. Setup shot of Mario Živković, sheep farmer
28. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Mario Živković, sheep farmer:
"The fact that wool is being used in this way is very meaningful to me and makes me happy. As ecological producers and as a company focused on healthy food production, we strive to work in a way that closes the entire cycle. It’s not just about wool — we’re also exploring how to use sheep manure as fertilizer, so that everything that can be reused truly is, reducing waste and creating economic value from every element of production."

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Otocac, Croatia – 5 November 2025

29. Man observing fertilizer pellets
30. Close of pellets dropping out of machine
31. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Dragica Jerkov, plant owner:
"At the age of 60, I embarked on a project that I never dreamed could reach such proportions. We probably shouldn’t be afraid. After all, making mistakes along the way is irrelevant."



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