PM assures Albania to import waste only for recycling

TIRANA, Oct 21 – Prime Minister Sali Berisha has assured Albania will not become a dumpsite for imported waste following a government decision allowing import of waste from EU countries to be recycled in Albania. Reacting to accusations by opposition and environmental NGOs, Berisha explained that no waste will be imported for burning.
“Out of 166 products, the government decision foresees that only 55 of them can be imported. Secondly, the decision was taken in principle because the import of each of the articles will be made under special government decisions, which means based on examined requests and needs of the recycling industry.”
The Prime Minister described opponents to the initiative as “anti-globalists, representing anarchy and today’s Marxist-Leninists” who, he said were the “environment’s most dangerous enemies because living on Mafia money.”
“They were worried that there were even horse tails (on the import list), horse tails are not big deal. They can create their horse farms if they want to,” said the Prime Minister describing their toxic effects as only pertaining to an anarchist.
Earlier this month, the Regional Environmental Centre (REC), speaking on behalf of 29 environmental organizations, condemned the October 16 decision saying that “At a time when Albania expects high environmental pollution and when we expect a law on urban waste, the Council of Ministers takes an unacceptable decision to import urban waste,” the REC said in a statement, urging the government to review the legislation.
The opposition Socialist Party (SP), led by Tirana Mayor Edi Rama, criticized the decision as criminal, and promised to overturn it as soon as it returns to power. The SP itself faced criticism on the same issue in 2004. Back then, the former leader of the party, Fatos Nano, signed a contract to import waste from Italy and recycle it in a factory near Tirana. Public interest groups, however, protested the move on environmental grounds and made the government break off the deal several months later.
The waste recycling industry in Albania is in initial stages as no separate waste containers exist to divide trash which is often thrown in open-air public spaces because of lack of bins.
Last June, a packaging company operating just outside Durres inaugurated the first waste paper recycling plant. The recycling plant, a 17 million euro private investment supported by the EBRD, has a production capacity of 70-80 tons of paper per day meeting some of the country’s needs and exporting a considerable part.