For the third consecutive year, waste in the city of Vlorë is being set on fire in the middle of the tourist season, damaging not only the image of a tourist city but, above all, endangering the lives of the local population in the region.
The problem of waste, despite hundreds of millions of euros spent on incinerators or source separation projects and campaigns, remains unresolved.
A report from the State Supreme Audit with the subject “Compliance with Standards in Urban Waste Management, a Sustainable Challenge in Reducing Environmental Pollution and Protecting Public Health” concludes that municipalities have not managed to improve the situation despite rising costs in this area.
Four municipalities were analysed: Durrës, Vlorë, Shkodër, and Korçë, with the situation being most problematic in the first two.
According to the report, the Municipality of Durrës, in managing urban waste, does not ensure the financial sustainability of this process, as the revenue generated for this purpose does not cover the expenses.
“This situation results from the fact that the Municipality of Durrës has not managed to collect all the planned revenue from the cleaning fee. Even if it were to achieve 100% collection, it still would not cover the total expenses for urban waste management in this municipality. The main reason for not covering expenses is the change in the waste disposal site to the Sharrë landfill. This has significantly increased the share of waste management in the municipality’s total budget. About 1/3, or approximately 30%, of the Municipality of Durrës’s budget goes to urban waste management, whereas according to the United Nations, this indicator should be in the range of 3-15%,” the report states.
Regarding the Municipality of Vlorë, the report highlights the health consequences of failing to manage waste.
“Urban waste management in the Municipality of Vlorë presents even more serious issues. In this municipality, urban waste is deposited in a disposal field that does not meet any environmental criteria. Urban waste is burned in the open air, causing significant health and environmental problems due to the release of dioxins and furans into the environment. Exposure to dioxins, furans, etc., causes various types of cancer, liver problems, damage to the immune system, endocrine system, and reproductive functions, as well as negative effects on the development of the nervous system,” the State Supreme Audit report says.
The report notes that such a situation with waste in Vlorë has also led to economic consequences by affecting the devaluation of properties near the urban waste disposal field in the city.
The State Supreme Audit also notes that regarding the calculation of the cleaning fee, the audited municipalities do not consider the size of the family and the area in which the family lives. Similarly, for fees imposed on businesses, they do not take into account the area in which the business operates.
Considering the size of the family, as well as the residential area and the area of business operations, would make the fee each subscriber has to pay fairer.
“Regarding the implementation of policies and the existing legal framework, the municipalities of Durrës, Shkodër, Vlorë, and Korçë have not fulfilled their legal obligations concerning the Strategic Environmental Assessment process as they have not accompanied the Local Urban Waste Management Plans with SEA. Moreover, they have not reported periodically to the Regional Councils on the implementation of local plans, have not met the targets for the differentiated collection of bio-waste for composting purposes, and have not recycled paper, cardboard, glass, and plastics. For all the aforementioned issues, recommendations have been given aimed at improving the causes leading to these shortcomings with the goal of eliminating and mitigating the negative impacts these problems have on the economy, environment, and public health,” the State Supreme Audit assesses.
