Recycling Experience In Albania

1. Recycling Experience In Albania Pashko GEGA, Specialist of Solid Waste, Agency of Environment and Forestry, Tirana - Albania

2. MAIN TOPICS OUTLINED • Status of Recycling • The Five Main Challenges For Increased Recycling • Current and Planned Projects Within Recycling.

3. Status of Recycling • Overview • Our country faces the important task of creating condition for sustainable management of urban waste and industrial waste. • Waste management remain of the key priorities of Albanian environmental policy. Current waste policy is based on a concept known as the waste hierarchy. • Albania has undertake a set of measures and has made some steps forward in the field of legislation, Institutional Policies and awareness raising. • Waste management situation in Albania • Economic instruments for waste management are scarce and insignificant in value.

4. Status of Recycling • Legal framework • Waste management legislation in Albania has been improved with new Laws, decisions and regulations/guidelines. • National Waste legislation consist on: • legislation is being drafted; • legislation is being amended; • legislation is currently subject to inter-Institutional consultation; • legislation is currently before the legislative body

5. Status of Recycling • Legal framework • A number of acts deal with “waste for recycling and treatment”, including: • Decision nr. 803, dated 04.12.2003 “On the approval of rules and procedures for the import of waste for recycling and treatment”; • Decision no. 99, dt.18.02.2005 “On the approval of the Albanian catalogue for classification of waste”; • Regulation nr.1, dated 30/3/ 2007 “On the treatment of construction and demolition waste from creation and transportation to disposal”; • Regulation no.6, dated 30.11.2007 “On the administration of hospital waste”; • Guideline nr.6, dated 27.11.2007 “on the approval of the rules, content and deadlines for the drafting of plans for solid waste administration”

6. Status of Recycling • Legal framework • The law covers public services and waste management; • During the last years, most of the progress in the waste management field has been made in harmonization of Albanian legislation with European legislation. In this context we can point out • New law “On Integrated Management of Waste” Recently is adopted by Legislation body in Albania. Polluters pay principle; Targets according to the European Directive • National Strategy on Waste Management (Comment) • Selection decisions for recycling process of waste such as packaging waste, Bio degradable, oils, end life of vehicles, batteries, WEEE waste are currently before the legislative body for adopting within the year 2011.

7. Status of Recycling • Reducing waste through prevention and minimization: • Very little initiatives and instruments is undertaken • Treatment of waste for energy recovering: So far do not exist any treatment method, or waste incineration for energy recovery • Waste disposal: Number of dam sites inherited from the past. • The fees: cover only the cleaning of the city, collection, transport and disposal at the respective dump sites. • Hazardous waste: So far, although prohibited by law, are disposed at the same dump sites as non-hazardous waste.

8. Status of Recycling • Treatment sites and project in hot-spot clean up; • Legal frame work in place to regulate these services; • Inspection, enforcement and monitoring system is needed to get H.W moving for further treatment ( technology and experience); • Cleaner proven technology and cleaner production; • Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment; Statistics and data. • Health Care Waste: Autoclaving disinfection and sterilization Processes • Waste recycling • Private company in market; 60 company, sort of waste collected • Waste collection for recycling; • Current situation: Few years ago was evidenced very small quantity 4 % of metals, 2 % of plastics and 1 % paper recycled. • Based on statistics in 2005, was collected and used about 54.9 ton scrap. • Currently the average level of recycling rate is estimated to be about 10%; and by the year 2013 the target is 25 %. • Recycling rate of PET plastics waste has reached 40%;

9. Status of Recycling • Waste recycling • The system of waste collection for the recycling business is informally organized. • There is high capacity for recycling of paper, paperboards and plastics; • Only one factory is enable to recycle more than 7000t/plastics /year; • The following barriers to waste recycling have been identified: • high energy price and transport costs; • low financial power of the collectors, both individuals and companies; • lack of separation (segregation) at source; • lack of awareness at the public, administration and business levels; • lack of training on waste segregation/ re-use/recycling/recovering at the different levels of value chain;

10. The Five Main Challenges For Increased Recycling • The Waste Stream in Albania (16) • The main challenges where our country faced with in management of waste are: Municipal solid waste, Construction and Demolition waste, Packaging waste, Biodegradable waste and End- life of vehicles • Municipal Solid Waste (house holds and commercial waste) • Annual waste generation figure was 857 223 tones waste for the year 2009 and 1 069 094 tones 2010. • These figures are equivalent of 266kg/per capita/year 2009, and 334 kg/capita/year 2010 or 68 kg/capita or 25.5% increased. • During the year 2010, compare with the year 2005, urban solid waste generation is increased about 117 000 tonnes or 9.1%

11. The Five Main Challenges For Increased Recycling • Municipal Solid Waste • Tab. 2 Waste generation trends over the years

12. The Five Main Challenges For Increased Recycling • Municipal Solid Waste • The table below illustrates the national quantities of the above waste streams produced in Albania during the year 2009.

13. The Five Main Challenges For Increased Recycling • Municipal Solid Waste

14. The Five Main Challenges For Increased Recycling • Municipal Solid Waste • On base of Albanian legislation, the responsibility for urban waste collection lies to local authorities. • Problems arise with the current collection arrangements include: • Poor standard of vehicles; • Poor condition of waste storage containers; • Infrequent collection resulting in overflow of containers; and • Waste on the street which causes odor, nuisance and health problems • Separate collection, low level of tax fee, public education

15. The Five Main Challenges For Increased Recycling • Municipal Solid Waste • Mater concerns on management of urban waste, separate collection, informal recycling through rummaging and scavenge of unauthorized groups for material recovery. • In the larger city some informal separation and collection of material for recycling does occur, (In Fieri city) • Albania can be categorized in the third grouping whose material recovery is at low level and whose dependence on landfill is relatively high, about 90% • In the year 2013 the landfill rate is envisaged to decrease from 90% to 75%, as result of diverting waste away from landfill through prevention and recycling processes. • The new National Waste Plan outlines measures to optimize recycling from municipal waste. The plan also outlines methodologies to be used to determine accurate quantities of wastes generated on an annual basis.

16. The Five Main Challenges For Increased Recycling • Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) • Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC): to provide a framework for moving towards a European recycling society with a high level of resource efficiency • (CDW) consists of numerous materials, including concrete, bricks, gypsum, wood, glass, metals, plastic, solvents, asbestos and excavated soil, many of which can be recycled. • Construction and demolition waste like other European countries has been identified as a priority waste stream by the our country. • All demolition waste is land filled together with municipal waste using up valuable space in landfills, or is dumped along streets. • Reused of construction waste has been totally impossible due to contents of mixed of metals, asbestos, paints and others materials.

17. The Five Main Challenges For Increased Recycling • Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) • Actually, there is not any technological solution for recovery of construction waste. • There is regulation in place for management of construction waste but technology for the separation and recovery of construction and demolition waste is not yet established. • Packaging waste • Mainly, packaging waste consist on PET bottles, glass, plastic bags, woods, etc. • Packaging waste represents significant volume, included in municipal waste stream. • Any data or statistics on quantity on packaging and packaging waste is not available in our country. • Draft/ decisions of Albania, set up higher targets and will complete the new package of waste legislation.

18. The Five Main Challenges For Increased Recycling • Packaging waste • The recycling targets set by decision is in full compliance with the European Directive as follows: • 60% overall recovery of packaging waste; and 55% minimum and 80% maximum recycling of packaging waste. • The decision on base of Directive set material specific recycling targets by weight, as follows: glass 60%, paper and board 60%, metals 50%, plastics 22.5%, and wood. • Diversion of packaging waste will supported by other measures: • Separate at source and separate collection system for packaging waste will be diverting waste successfully; • Landfill tax for packaging waste can be effective in diverting waste from landfill and improving recovery of waste stream in particular.

19. The Five Main Challenges For Increased Recycling • Packaging waste • Producer responsibility initiative and obligations. These initiatives can include: • Reduction in quantity of packaging required; • Reduction in the polluting potential of the packaging, e.g. Reduction in the heavy metals content of the packaging; or • of the increasing the quantity of recycled materials used in the products. • Better understanding, commitment and willingness at all the level of society for separate at source and separate collection of recyclable materials is required • Over the year 2009, approximately 120 000 ton of paper is through away to damp site both with urban waste, and only 3.5 % is collected and recycled.

20. The Five Main Challenges For Increased Recycling • Biodegradable waste • The Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC obliges all the states to reduce the amount of biodegradable waste. • Biodegradable waste represents a considerable quantity on the total of municipal solid waste stream. There is no either treatment or composting measure undertaken. • One of the most important instrumentispreventing or minimizing the generation of this waste in the first instance. • A number of different methods can be employed such as: Consumer awareness; Public education; Separate at source; Home composting.

21. The Five Main Challenges For Increased Recycling • Biodegradable waste • Albania has a considerable potential for the recycling of biodegradable waste as it constitutes a significant percentage making up about 62% of the overall waste. • Collection methods; Separate collection, encourage of home composting of garden waste, Incineration of mixed waste, most widely used. • Food Waste; (eco labeling, cooking, eco behavior) and reprocesses into animals feed. This will reduce organic matter to landfill. • Fiscal Instruments: has important effect; • Key instruments : selective tax fees (in particular landfill taxes; • Recycling and composting of BMW should be the top priority measure to reduce GHG emissions in Albania during the period 2011 to 2020. • GHG Abatement Scenario is rely on construction of more than five new landfills with energy recovery during the period 2010–2020.

22. The Five Main Challenges For Increased Recycling • Biodegradable waste • This will reduce GHG emissions by around 30 % compared to the GHG emissions of the baseline scenario. • End - Life of Vehicles • The EC ELV Directive aims to reduce the amount of waste from V. • Situation of old vehicles in Albania: • In a lot of casesend of – life - vehicle are abandon; • Moreover cars deck is dumping together with urban waste • In generally statistics on the number of scrap is not available • Recyclable materials In dismount machineare iron, mercury, Cadmium, Chromium, antifreeze, oil and other harmful substances to environment; • There is legal act in place for management of end – life of vehicles and new law is drafted

23. The Five Main Challenges For Increased Recycling • End - Life of Vehicles • Appropriate solution recommended: collection in specific places and their dismount on base of their nature, separating metallic scrap (destined to melting industry) or Export destination for technology reused process. • National Plan for increasing of recycling rate include: • Strengthening of Institutional Infrastructure; • Separate at source and separate collection ( driving factor for reducing of urban waste to landfill and GHG emission) • Tax fee for waste prevention to landfill; • Financing support for environmental infrastructure ; • Management of resource consumption; • Set up of new proven cleaner technology for treatment of waste; • Public education and consumer’s awareness for waste reduction and minimization;

24. Current and Planned Projects Within Recycling. • Change of infrastructure of production and citizen’s style of life; • Enhancement of information and dissemination system. • Establishing of data base. • Incineration of mix waste for energy recovery • Public education, vital part for implementation of the National Strategy; • Producer responsibility and their obligation • Main Objectives, (planned project within recycling) • By the end of year 2013 the landfill rate is envisaged to decrease from • 90% to 75%, through prevention, minimization and recycling; • At the same year the target of recycling rate should be 25% (currently is 10%); Plastic waste 40% • During the period 2010–2020, GHG emissions will reduce by around 30% compared to the GHG emissions of the baseline scenario;

25. Current and Planned Projects Within Recycling. • Main Objectives, (planned project within recycling) 5. By 2015 separate collections must be set up for at least; paper, metal, plastic and glass; 6. By this year the preparing for re-use and the recycling of 25 % of waste materials such as at least paper, metal, plastic and glass from households and 55 % over the year 2020. and possibly of 15% energy recovery from municipal waste; 7. Closed and after care of 65 existing urban dumpsites; 8. Construction of regional municipal waste landfills in 12 areas; 9. Construction of 9 new landfills in several areas throughout the country; 10.Safe disposal in landfills of 75% of hazardous waste production; 11.Disposal of 50% of non-hazardous solid waste in planned landfills

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