Strategic Moves - Regional Environmental Center for Central and ...

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C H A P T E R 6
WAT E R A N D WA S T E U T I L I T I E S I N S E E — S TAT U S A N D R E F O R M
S T R AT E G I C M O V E S
At the local level, the current charges for the collection, transportation and disposal
of municipal waste from households are based on living or commercial surface
calculation (KN/sqm). The tariffs differ for households and commercial
spaces. The higher tariffs for commercial spaces are intended to subsidise the low
tariffs for households. However, revenues are insufficient and local authorities are
often co-financing waste management operational costs from their budgets. The
Waste Law prescribes the introduction of a charge calculation system based on
quantities of produced waste (number of households, tonnes) in order to compute
realistic charges for households and producers of municipal waste. The future
RWMCs will be obliged to introduce such tariff calculation systems.
Around 39 percent of municipal waste is collected in Kosovo (as defined
under UNSCR 1244) (90 percent in urban areas, and less than 10 percent in rural
areas) (WWRO, 2009). Hazardous waste, chemicals, industrial waste and medical
waste streams are not properly managed.
Similar to the situation in the water sector, the municipal waste companies have
undergone a process of consolidation. Waste collection and transportation services
are operated by seven regional public companies. The number and size of the
regional waste companies mirrors the regions established for water and wastewater
companies, without being based on the size of the population or similar criteria.
During 2008, the trend showed that service performance by the regional waste
companies declined compared to 2007. The negative changes were brought about
by lower bill collection rates and lower revenues.
The National Waste Management Strategy for 2010 to 2020 will be elaborated
during 2009. One of the following two options is likely: (i) waste collection
and transportation provided by regional companies owned by
municipalities, and waste disposal services provided by a central company; or
(ii) waste collection as well as waste disposal services provided by regional companies.
To date, waste collection and transportation services are operated by
seven regional public companies. The publicly owned Kosovo Landfill Management
Company (KLMC) manages solid waste disposal. The Water and
Waste Regulatory Office (WWRO) is the independent economic regulator for
solid waste services, as well as for water. Its responsibilities include licensing
public enterprises; setting and approving tariffs for regulated services; monitoring
and enforcing compliance with service standards on the part of licensed
service providers; and supporting customers in each of the seven service area regions.
The municipal waste fee is EUR 3.5 per household, and the invoice collection
rate is only around 30 percent.
In the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, there are only municipal
waste management PUCs. A small proportion of waste collectors are private companies,
typically those dealing with waste in rural areas. Regular waste collection
services are mainly limited to urban areas. In total, around 70 percent of the total
Macedonian population benefit from regular waste collection services (in rural
settlements the proportion is around 10 percent). Waste disposal practices do not
comply with any technical and/or environmental standards.