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Urban waste management in Albania
Section 11. Science of law
Mecaj Stela,
University ".Ismail Qemali” Vlora, Albania, PhD Candidate in Law, the Faculty of Law E-mail: stela.mecaj@yahoo.com
Urban waste management in Albania
Abstract: Environmental legislation in Albania is based on the Constitution of the Republic of Albania, general and specific laws to the environment, decisions of the Council of Ministers, orders and instructions to ministries, specific regulations etc. This legislation is approaching EU standards, because is based on the same principles and continues to be in an intensive process of the improvements. Albania is included in the recent urban developments, which is associated with environmentally cost. Problems remain urban and acoustic pollution, recycling and waste handling, cutting and uncontrolled forest exploitation, or riverbeds, causing encroachment and damage to biodiversity where they arise. Urban waste management continues to be one of the most serious environmental problems in Albania, polluting the environment and endangering the health of residents. Data on environmental indicators help decision makers to be more effective in their work, but also helps citizens, businesses, investors, etc.
Keywords: environment, environmental protection, biodiversity, urban waste, urban waste management, environmental indicators, increased consumption, the right management policies, recycling.
1. Overview regarding waste management
The issue, which occurs in relation to waste management is not the same in developed and developing countries. Developed countries have developed appropriate equipment to manage their waste, whereas, developing countries are still in transition to better management of waste. Hazardous waste management realized through recycling and for their disposal commonly used method of burning or casting in water. All these methods have varying degrees of adverse environmental impacts with adverse environmental risks and health [8; 9].
Waste management in Albania is at a very low level and is decentralized. In most cities the service of transportation for waste collection carried out by private companies to waste management, which are contracted by the municipalities. The fee for waste management, include the collection and transportation of waste to the landfill. Rural areas are not yet covered by waste management services [10]. Changing this situation will require time, effort and considerable investment. Such an undertaking should be well planned at the local, regional and national levels.
For this reason, the main focus of early objectives for this sector is to implement a planning system simple, but effective. National Plan for Waste Management is a project for the future. It sets challenging targets, but realistic for sustainable waste management in Albania. Built on a substantial funding commitment by the Albanian government to transform waste practices Albania, it determines the direction of government policies for sustainable waste management over the next 15 years [11, 7-8].
In Albania, a part of recycled waste, less buried and in many cases burned. This brings a higher air pollution. They deposited the remains of the industrial sector in the same places with the municipal urban waste being treated in the same way, while hospital waste disposed of in controlled conditions after contain very dangerous chemicals. Hospital «Mother Teresa» has a machinery for the disposal of hospital waste [12, 123]. Waste management is the direct responsibility of local government.
Municipalities and regions in the country do not separate waste, causing that all the garbage, are deposited in certain areas, which do not fulfill the necessary engineering conditions for environmental protection and are subject to frequent fires. Exhaust fumes that are released from their pollute the air, poison the land and water on the ground. The same situation is in the municipalities. Waste deposited not in certain areas, usually near rivers or wayside turning into source pollution.
2. The legal framework in the field of waste management
Law no. 10,431, dated 9.6.2011 “On Environmental Protection"
Law no. 10463, dated 22.9. 2011 “For Integrated Waste Management”.
By this law derive some decisions that have been approved and are in the process:
- Decision on “Their waste packaging and” no. 177, dated 06.03. Adopted in 2012.
- Decision on “Waste Incineration” no. 178, dated 06.03.2012.
- Decision on “Waste Landfill” no. 452 dated 11.07. 2012.
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- Decision “Batteries and Accumulators”, No. 866 dated 12.04.2012.
- Decision “On the rules and procedures for the disposal of used oils”, No. 765 dated 07.11.2012.
- Decision on “Management of Regional Waste Landfills”, No. 333, dated 26. 01. 2011.
- Decision on “Hospital Waste Management”, No. 798, dated 29. 09. 2010.
Also guidelines, regulation have been adopted, are drawn up 8 Regional Plans: Tirana, Durres, Vlora, Elbasan, Shkodra, Lezha, Dibra. In cooperation with the project SELEA are in the process the other 4 Regional Plane Circles: Gjirokastra, Berat, Fier. Adoption of the “National Strategy for Waste Management” and the law “On Integrated Waste Management” aimed at reducing waste and pursue its objectives of recycling, rehabilitation etc [10].
3. Municipal and inert waste, their trend
Urban waste have been steadily increasing, averaging 17 % per year. Since 2005, it has had the greatest increase, with 60 % compared to 2004. High rates have also to 2006 and 2007, and in subsequent years appears to have had a “normalization” of urban waste rates. The trend is different for solid waste. If urban waste are somewhat well-managed in terms of collection, solid waste seems to have invaded every available space free around entrances and exits of cities. Depending on the construction industry boom has varied the amount of solid waste.
Years 2003 and 2005 marked the highest figures. Year 2005 seems to have brought a change in relations between the types of waste. By this time the solid waste were higher than in urban areas. After 2005s, the amount ofwaste has always been higher, while in 2009 was almost two times higher than solid waste [13]. During 2013, urban waste generated more than solid waste. This shows that more waste is generated by the consumption of goods from the population than the construction sector. During 2009-2011, total waste generation (urban and solid) tends growth. While during 2012-2013 shows decrease in total waste generation. In 2013 there is a decrease of urban solid waste and compared with 2012 [10].
Over the years there has been little accurate information on the amount and composition of the waste generated in urban areas. Responsibility for the collection of waste lies with the local authorities. Some of them have signed contracts with private companies for waste collection. The frequency of waste collection and residence time is often variable.
Problems arising from the current arrangements of the meeting include [11, fq. 11]:
• Vehicles in poor condition;
• Poor state of waste storage containers;
• Infrequent meetings, resulting in excessive filling of containers;
• Waste on the road that cause bad smells, health problems and inconvenience.
4. The management of municipal waste and nonmunicipal waste
In Albania, the municipal waste management is minimal with little recycling and is mainly used in landfills. Waste
collected by a collection system currently bins located side by sidewalks. Capacities of waste management authorities are very scarce and this is confirmed by all the countries of the many inappropriate disposal sites and urban areas used by these authorities [8, 17]. Waste collection is carried out, either by a company fully owned by the municipality or by a private company, not always selected by tender. In general remains moved to a municipal landfill which, if managed made by the company that carries out the collection of waste. Necessary equipment can be owned by a municipality or private company. When waste collection carried out by the municipality, often it does not keep separate accounts for the waste management function.
Non-Municipal Waste cover a wide range of types of waste, sorted mass of small commercial ventures and individual traders to large industrial complex units. Treatment of waste and landfill treatments carried out by a large number of different organizations, including waste producers themselves, private companies and waste management companies who use waste materials as raw materials. Municipal Waste often contain difficult or dangerous material, that may need special treatment. Non-Municipal Waste are divided into two main types defined by law as industrial waste and commercial waste [10]:
• Industrial waste is residue from a factory or another line used, in connection with the provision of public postal services or telecommunications services, public water supply etc.
• Commercial waste is a waste from factories used for trade, for business or for recreational purposes etc.
5. Objectives and policies in relation to waste management
Waste Management was the problem with population growth and consumption in some major urban areas and in particular the growth of plastics and packaging waste. Waste management system has remained centralized until 1994. In 1994 the collection and treatment of waste is delegated to local governments, which are responsible for waste management through funds provided by the central government. Law No. 8652, dated. 31.07.2000 «On the organization and functioning of local government» provides that the collection, storage and treatment of waste is fully functional and organizational responsibility of local government units. The system for the collection of solid urban waste is based on a single level in the waste collection and transport to the nearest place. There is very little recycling ofwaste. The main method of regulation is discharging. No location specially designed landfills in the country, though now under construction are two or three such. For this reason, most of the waste from these areas are likely to discharged into streams, valleys, river beds or near roads [11].
6. Approach with EU legal standards
Actions needed to achieve approximation with EU legislation in the area of environment are defined in the National Plan for the Implementation of the SAA (Stabilisation and
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Association Agreement). New legislation will set interim targets, in accordance with the estimated cost to make possible the attainment of the standards. Therefore new waste legislation will have to specify the interim objectives, which create an approach to the achievement of the European Community Standards in the long term. Collection and treatment of urban waste is a standard, compliance with which is very costly. In order to ensure a balanced relationship between environmental protection and economic development, interim standards should be determined on the basis of a clear analysis of financial and economic resources necessary for the implementation of any part of legislation [11, 25-26].
7. Conclusions
Waste management in the country remains one of the main problems of the Albanian citizens. More worrying situation is in developed cities with the highest population, but also tourist towns, mainly frequented by tourists summer months.
Despite tourism during 12 months of waste management situation is still unclear and solutions are not effective yet, despite the efforts that were made to amend the legislation or initiatives by environmental structures, central and local government. Lack of cooperation, but also the lack of initiative by citizens to contribute all together for a cleaner and healthy environment, are reasons that the performance of works on waste management do not bring the desired results. Another problem is the lack of collection and disposal system of waste in rural areas. Industrial waste inherited from the past and stored in several warehouses in the country are a priority for the handling, sale and use, as well as their disposal through clean technologies. Continuing, the important thing is to apply the Waste Management Plan 2010-2025, the creation of administrative structures at national, regional and local levels to further strengthen waste management and public awareness for separation and selective collection of waste.
References:
1. Law No. 8652, dated. 31.07.2000 “On the organization and functioning of local government”.
2. Law No. 10 431, dated 9.6.2011 “On Environmental Protection”.
3. Law No. 10 463, dated 22.9. 2011 “For Integrated Waste Management”.
4. Decision on “Their waste packaging and” No. 177, dated 06.03. 2012.
5. Decision on “Waste Incineration” No. 178, dated 06.03.2012.
6. Decision “For discarded vehicles” No. 705 dated 10.10. 2012.
7. Decision on “Waste Landfill” No. 452 dated 11.07. 2012.
8. Decision on “Hospital Waste Management”, No. 798, dated 29. 09. 2010.
9. [Electronic resource]. - Available from: http://segate.sunet.se/archives/et-w10.html.
10. Waste, ne//[Electronic resource]. - Available from: http://www.mjedisi.gov.al/files/userfiles/Monitorim_Mjedi-sor/Mbetjet.pdf.
11. Commission of the European Communities, for and on behalf of the Government of Albania, Ref: EuropeAid/124909/ C/SER/AL implementation of the National Plan for Approximation of Environmental Legislation in Albania, 19.08.2010.
12. Report of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Water Management, 2009.
13. [Electronic resource]. - Available from: http://open.data.al/sq/lajme/lajm/lang/sq/id/295/Mbetjet-e-ngurta-nder-vite#sthash.h135out6gx.dpuf.
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