TIRANA, Sept. 14 – With the ruling Socialist Party-led majority on track to approve legal changes that could reactivate waste imports on Sept 22, civil society activists who three years ago lobbied to impose a ban have warned of nationwide protests and a referendum to stop what they claim will make Albania Europe’s wastebin.
The campaign is being led by the Alliance Against Waste Imports, AKIP, which in 2013 collected more than 60,000 signatures to hold a nationwide referendum later invalidated by the Central Election Commission following a government decision banning waste imports. Banning waste imports was one of the first three decisions the current Socialist Party-led government which came out of the June 2013 general elections made in September 2013.
Prime Minister Edi Rama who had publicly criticized the lift of the ban on waste imports by the previous Democratic Party-led government had vowed to allow the waste import only when Albania would be able to select, separate and process its domestically produced waste.
The presence of waste in public places and lack of proper management remains one of Albania’s key issues, often ruining the country’s image as an under-the-radar travel destination.
In a letter to all 140 Albanian MPs, AKIP says paving the way to waste imports would be “anti-national, murderous, mafia-like and humiliating for Albania.”
“Both the citizens and the civil society haven’t changed their minds. We believe this law brings only misfortune for Albania. The only person who hasn’t changed his mind is [PM] Edi Rama who has decided to support this Mafia project as he described it several years ago,” AKIP says.
Their reaction comes after three ruling majority MPs have proposed lifting a ban on waste imports in a bid to give a boost to the ailing recycling industry which has seen a cut in investment and jobs since the late 2013 ban. Parliament is expected to discuss and approve the law in a session scheduled for next week on Thursday, Sept. 22.
“In case Parliament dares continue procedures on secretly approving the law on waste imports, AKIP will launch nationwide protests and request the reactivation of procedures for a ban on waste imports through a referendum,” says Lavdosh Feruni, an environmentalist and AKIP representative.
AKIP was founded in 2011 when then Democratic Party-led government approved a law paving the way to waste imports. It managed to bring together key public figures including former President Alfred Moisiu and several analysts and civil society activists.
Back in October 2013 when Parliament imposed a ban on waste imports, Socialist Party Prime Minister Edi Rama said he was proud of such a decision.
“I am so proud this Parliament will finally approve a ban on waste imports in Albania. Waste will never be allowed to enter Albania until Albania is able to select, separate, collect and process the waste it produces itself. We will remove waste from the view of everybody who in this country is invited to enjoy the beauty and strengthen our tourism industry and that we cannot welcome to come back after taking them to mountains of waste all over the country,” AKIP cites Rama as saying.
Eduard Shalsi, the initiator of the new legal changes to lift the ban on waste imports, also strongly opposed waste imports at that time.
“How can you allow waste imports when you haven’t initially proved that you can handle the waste you produce. Is there no more waste in Albania that we are trying to import? asked Shalsi back in Sept. 2013.
Defiant ruling Socialist Party MP Mimoza Hafizi has vowed not vote the new legal changes that could reactivate waste imports.
“This draft law targets allowing waste import in Albania through several articles that were rejected three years ago under the October 10, 2013 law. I uphold all arguments this majority banned waste imports three years ago,” said Hafizi.
“There’s a strong political argument, the law adopted three years ago made the holding of a referendum sought by 65,000 signatures impossible. That’s why the fact we are bringing back these articles is an act of treachery and distrust this government and majority is showing toward citizens,” said Hafizi.
Along with Socialist Party MP Ben Blushi, Hafizi has been critical of Prime Minister Rama’s rule in the past three years and both have left open the possibility of creating a splinter party ahead of next year’s general elections.
Back in early 2014, the Albanian government withdrew from a plan to destroy Syrian chemical weapons in the country following massive demonstrations amid worries that Albania couldn’t safely handle destroying them and concerns over damaging the promising tourism industry.
The waste collection and recycling sector mostly employs poor people mainly from the vulnerable Roma and Egyptian communities.
Last August, a 17-year-old illegally employed teen died at the Sharra landfill managed by the municipality of Tirana, apparently accidentally hit by diggers while working as uninsured in the facility, sparking public anger.
New amendments
Last July, three ruling majority MPs, including one from the Socialist Movement for Integration, the Socialist Party’s junior ally, proposed some amendments to the integrated waste management law targeting to reintroduce imports of non-hazardous waste to help one of the key industries in the country recover.
“The ban of imports led the recycling industry to cut its capacity utilization rate to 30 percent, incurring huge losses and cutting jobs. Investments in this sector which employs 35,000 people are estimated at Euro 120 million,” say a report accompanying the proposed changes to the law, also signed by Eduard Shalsi, a ruling Socialist Party MP, who chairs the productive activities and environment parliamentary committee.
The ban on waste imports was one of the first three decisions the new Socialist Party-led government made in mid-September 2013 immediately after swearing-in, making unnecessary a referendum initiated by the Alliance Against Waste Imports, AKIP.
The legal changes will open up opportunities in the recycling sector by creating dozens of thousands of jobs, say the MPs.
Given the fact that there are no appropriate municipal waste separation systems, companies are forced to rely on the informal sector, which is currently taking out thousands of tons of recycling waste from municipal landfills and dumpsites, solving Albania`s problem of landfills filling up, the UN says.
Any government`s initiative should take into account this informal sector which currently includes 10,000 to 40,000 self-employed individuals and their families. The recycling industry itself directly employs 3,000 workers, the UN adds.
Waste management
Only about two-thirds of the country’s 2.9 million resident population has access to public waste treatment and disposal services, making waste management one of the key issues of concern for local communities and hundreds of thousands of tourists visiting Albania.
However, the construction of several new landfills has considerably improved waste management services in the past three years.
Some 69 percent of municipal waste is landfilled, about a quarter is recycled, 2.5 percent is incinerated and 2 percent is still dumped, according to state statistical institute, INSTAT.
With almost every item sold coming with a free plastic bag in the whole of Albania, Tirana is targeting to become the first Balkan capital city to stop the use of plastic bags in supermarkets.
Mayor Erion Veliaj says plastic bags, which commonly block sewerage and manholes in Tirana, are one of the main causes of flash floods in the capital.
Several EU member countries have already introduced plastic bag charges in an effort to minimize its impact on the environment, reduce litter and protect wildlife.
Albania imported some 353,553 tonnes of waste in 2014, mostly steel, cast iron and aluminium waste to be processed at the Kurum steel plant in Elbasan, says INSTAT.
