Affair with incinerators/ Eurostat: 4.4% of waste in Albania was processed in 2022

2024-02-16 07:18:00, Aktualitet CNA

Affair with incinerators/ Eurostat: 4.4% of waste in Albania was processed in

Incinerator projects for burning waste are among the largest government investments in terms of value in the last 6 years, but they have no role in waste treatment even though 2 of the three facilities have already been built.

Eurostat data on waste treatment in Europe show that in 2022 in Albania, 295 kilograms of waste were generated per inhabitant, but only 13 kilograms per capita or 4.4% percent of the total were eliminated by burning in incinerators or landfills. open.

So the incinerators have turned into objects of "burning" of public funds. Since 2017-January 2024, they have received from the state budget about 122 million euros, according to data from the Ministry of Finance, while millions more are procured day after day with the aim of returning them to work.

Only in January 2024, the Integrated Energy BV SPV company responsible for the construction of the Tirana incinerator was paid by the state treasury with about 2.1 million euros, of which over 600 thousand were payments from the Municipality of Durrës and 1.5 million euros from Municipality of Tirana.

Due to ineffective and corrupt investments, Tirana Municipality's waste management costs in 2024 are more than double compared to 2017, before the incinerator project started, according to official data from the 2024 mid-term budget. 2026 of the Municipality of Tirana for the period 2021-2024 and 2017 from the State Charter Control (KLSH).

Waste processing costs more to the municipality of Durrës. The Municipality of Durrës is a unique case of how it spends more than half of the revenue it collects on just one item, for environmental protection (mainly garbage cleaning). In 2022, the Municipality's own income (from taxes, fees and separate taxes) was 1.53 billion ALL, with a 3% decrease compared to the previous year, according to data from Co-Plan.

So the main cities of the country are simultaneously faced with high costs of waste treatment and are facing an environmental emergency, as the waste generated in Elbasan, Durrës, Kavajë, Vorë and Tirana is accumulating in landfills near incinerators that do not work.

The treatment of waste in Albania continues to be a "hot potato" in the hands of the government, as the country is experiencing a tourist boom. Last year the country was visited by 10 million tourists, and this season is expected to be even better in terms of bookings. On the other hand, piles of garbage can be found everywhere in the country./Monitor