TIRANA, Sept  30 /ATA/ At the Forum on Integrated Waste Management and Circular Economy, Minister of Tourism and Environment, Mirela Kumbaro, made an overview  of one-year track record in the field of environment, putting emphasis on this sector’s orientation towards recycling and composting.

“Thanks to the programs of the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, the commitment  of the municipalities and the valuable support of our partners such as the German government, the Swiss government, the Swedish government, over a span of one year we managed to get rid of 15 hotspots which were illegal landfills, although there are dozens more that are in need of interventions. We closed and rehabilitated everything from the dire situation of Gërhot in Gjirokastër or the landfill that was burning in Përmet, to the illegal landfills  in Burrel, Kukës or Krujë, from Skrapari or Këlcyra to Laç, Cërrik, Fier and Lushnjë, Dimal, Kuçovo, Berat,” the minister said.

In her remarks at the forum with the participation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and  all mayors, Kumbaro said that currently 90% of the waste in the territory is collected, but recycling is still at very low levels.

“From 50% level of collection in 2013, today we collect about 90% of the volume of urban waste, yet we recycle a little, about 15% of over 888,000 tons of urban waste per year. We need to build the circular economy model. Not everything can be thrown away, many things can be reused, recycled in an organized manner by sorting the waste out at source not just because it is a requirement and our commitment under the environment chapter in EU accession negotiations, but we owe it to our children when we think about what kind of Albania we are  going to leave behind,” said Kumbaro.

The National Cleanup Plan has delivered impressive results throughout the year, she said while making reference to the fines for the mayors if they neglect to clean the city.

“I cannot hide the fact that I didn’t feel good at all when the National Environment Agency was compelled to implement the law on Integrated Waste Management by taking measures against some mayors. But it is a functional duty and a priority for every mayor not to afford themselves the indifference or failure to keep their territory clean,” said Kumbaro, making reference to the penalties that were imposed for the first time this year on the mayors of Malësia e Madhe, Poličani, Kruja and Vlora due to problems with the cleanup of their territories.

The forum was organized in cooperation with the German Society for International Cooperation / GIZ, promoting the successful models of Saranda and Himara, which collect paper and plastics for recycling, generating income for the municipalities, or the model of Cërrik, which is a pioneer in the composting process.

/k.s/sm/