Context
Having attained candidate status in 2014, Albania's aspiration to achieve EU membership is now the driving force behind the country’s current development efforts. Accordingly, Albania’s National Waste Management Strategy for 2010–2025 is oriented toward EU standards. Several laws and directives have already converted that strategic orientation into a legal framework, including a law on the integrated management of waste (2011) and a law to promote the separation of waste (2014). However, a large discrepancy remains between these legal steps on the one hand, and reality on the other. The wide gap is caused by shortcomings in resources, capacities, technical knowledge and environmental education. Organic waste is deposited in poorly managed landfills as part of the overall solid waste. There it generates landfill gases and leachate that pollute water, soil and even the climate. The polluter-pays principle is not enforced and cost-recovering services are a reality in just a very few municipalities. This inadequate waste management system has negative impacts on people’s health and the environment. Because of their lack of resources, most municipalities feel over-burdened by the need to modernise their services.
Objective
The solid waste management system in Albania has improved. There is a greater focus on climate-related aspects of waste management, with the introduction of composting of organic matter, and increased waste separation and recycling in the municipalities of Himara, Peqin and Rrogozhina.
Approach
Improving the management of solid waste requires the active support of the wider population and of private businesses. For this reason, the project underscores the importance of a participatory approach with broad-based civic involvement, especially including the marginalised groups engaged in the informal collection of recyclable waste.
The project operates at national level, where it cooperates in particular with the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, and in three partner municipalities (Himara, Peqin and Rrogozhina). At the national level, it contributes to a review of the National Waste Management Strategy as well as the strengthening of sector regulations, and it carries out general capacity development activities.
In the partner municipalities, the project supports the drafting and implementation of waste management plans. It is also working with both national and local actors to develop a financing plan to cover the costs of waste management operations.
In a third area of activity, the project assists the three partner municipalities in mobilising their residents to get them more involved in the new concepts of integrated solid waste management. This entails information campaigns to encourage waste separation and composting, and the acceptance of fee payments.
Since 2017, the project has also been contributing to Germany’s position as the lead donor in this sector. It cooperates very closely with KfW development bank, which is responsible for delivering German financial assistance for solid waste management, and it works with other international development partners.
Results
The revised National Strategy for Integrated Waste Management was presented in November 2017. Municipal waste management concepts for Himara, Peqin and Rrogozhina were confirmed in 2018 and 2019 by the respective city councils. The work plans of these concepts have been implemented since 2018. This includes measures for the separate collection and processing of metal, paper or plastic recyclables. Since 2018, plants for the stabilization of municipal waste and for composting have been set up in Himara and Rrogozhina. These systems are scheduled to start operation at the end of 2019. In 2018, 17 awareness-raising campaigns were carried out in the three partner municipalities. An example of this is a campaign to replace plastic bags with fabric bags for shopping. In addition, specially tailored training courses for the Albanian project partners were also realized in 2018.