New recycling centre set up in Lezha

TIRANA, April 20 – A new waste management plan and a new recycling centre have been established in the northern town of Lezha in one of the first ground-breaking examples of modern and innovative solutions to urban waste management problems. Representatives from the Embassy of the Netherlands and Swiss Cooperation, as well as from central and local government have announced the start of a new waste disposal scheme in Lezh뮍
“This is definitely an important step ahead in the right direction. However, the challenges are still many and continuous coordination and cooperation among different stakeholders is at the heart of the matter, in order to make all of Albania a cleaner place, where the problem of waste and pollution is properly addressed,” said Dutch Ambassador to Albania Henk van Den Dool at the inauguration ceremony.
Swiss Cooperation’s Country Director, Isabel Perich said this initiative is an “excellent example of Public-Private Partnership with clear benefits for the Municipality, private businesses and the public at large”.
The recycling centre will process approximately 7,500 ton of waste each year, benefitting nearly 45,000 inhabitants in Lezha and improving the environment, touristic potential and business potential of the city. It’s one of the first examples of this kind in Albania which has the potential to be replicated also in other urban centres of the country. This approach to waste management contributes towards achieving reduction of waste dumping, improved cleanliness and hygiene, and a more sustainable solution for the emerging environmental problems in Albania.
Another important aspect of this project was the increase of public awareness and education among citizens in Lezh뮠This was done by involving public institutions and business companies in demonstrating activities in order to instill confidence and show that the new waste management plan can function if there is participation from the public in one hand, and institutional effectiveness on the other.
This initiative started with a project titled ‘Participatory Plastic Waste Cleaning and Waste Management in Lezha Municipality’ funded by the Embassy of the Netherlands and implemented by the Urban Research Institute and the Municipality. After the initial stage was set successfully, they also involved the Swiss Cooperation through its decentralization and local development programme. This made possible more funding and technical assistance for designing a new waste management scheme that includes separation of recyclable waste at the deposit source, capacity building and public-private partnership building at local level, and the establishment of the recycling centre.