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

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C H A P T E R 2
S TAT U S O F E N V I R O N M E N TA L I N F R A S T R U C T U R E I N T H E S E E R E G I O N
S T R AT E G I C M O V E S
Across Albania there are 65 legal — albeit unmanaged and uncontrolled —
landfills for urban settlements, as well as an unknown number of illegal waste dumps
in rural areas. There is no separation of household waste from industrial, construction
or hazardous waste. Some medical waste is incinerated in four obsolete incinerators
causing air pollution hazardous to human health. No waste stream is sorted
formally into recyclable components, although there is a small-scale informal market
among individual collectors and small companies. None of the existing landfills
meet international construction and health standards (location, protective lining,
drainage system, leachate treatment, gas collection etc.). Landfills and illegal waste
dumps often catch fire, releasing dioxins and furans. The Ministry of Environment,
Forestry and Water Administration envisages the construction of four landfills in Elbasan,
Fier, Gjirokaster and Berat, and the closure of five existing dumpsites in Elbasan,
Durres, Berat, Lezhe and Pogradec. Over the last three years, rehabilitation
and restructuring work has been undertaken at the Sharra landfill in Tirana.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is at an early stage of investment in solid waste management.
Approximately 36 percent of the country is covered by municipal solid
waste management services. There are 75 legal but non-sanitary landfills, as well as
around 1,200 illegal ones. It is estimated that Republika Srpska has 25 municipal
landfills and a large number of illegal dumpsites; while in the Federation of Bosnia
and Herzegovina there are 50 municipal dumpsites and a large number of illegal
disposal sites. Up to eight regional landfills are needed in order to achieve compliance
with relevant EU directives.
The 2003 National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) proposes two options
for an intermediate solution: regional landfills at 16 (entity option) or 14 (interentity
option) locations, which would ultimately result in a long-term solution
comprising six major regional landfills in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in Banja
Luka, Tuzla, Mostar, Bijeljina, Bihac and Livno. Since 2003, two sanitary regional
depots have been built in Banja Luka and Sarajevo. The 2008 Instrument for Preaccession
Assistance (IPA) project “Strengthening Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Environmental
Institutions: Preparation for Pre-accession Funds and Support to
Environmental Infrastructure Development” is providing technical assistance for
the preparation of environmental infrastructure investment projects (feasibility
studies) for the regional landfills in Sarajevo and Banja Luka, as well as those envisaged
in Gorazde, Srednje Bosanski canton,Visoko, Ljubuski region, Prijedor,
Derventa and Trebinje. This has been complemented by World Bank International
Development Association (IDA) loans for Sarajevo, Zenica, Tuzla, Bihac, Banja
Luka and Bijeljina. During the implementation of this project, 145 illegal dumpsites
have been closed and remediated, and another 40 are due to be closed.
According to the Croatian National Waste Management Plan (NWMP), all existing
299 registered local landfill sites should be remediated or closed, or transformed
into transfer stations for future regional management centres by the end
of 2011, with a transition period to 2015 (EU Waste Landfill Directive). The closing
of old dumpsites is a precondition for establishing new waste management centres.
Closure and remediation work has been completed at 63 landfills.