They promised to clean up Albania, but they polluted it even worse... morally, ecologically and financially. Although they were paid hundreds of millions of euros over almost a decade, the three incinerator projects did not make "Albania cleaner" as promised. Over the years, the figures have fluctuated, but the common denominator is that less than 5 percent of the waste generated has been managed by the incinerators.
"The waste management strategy through incineration was wrong from the beginning, which is why we have these results today. Very little waste can be treated by incineration," Mihallaq Qirjo, from the Environmental Resource Center, tells A2 CNN.
Even less is the amount of waste burned to produce electricity. Data from the Institute of Statistics shows that the amount has been negligible over the past eight years. (graph
"The energy produced by incinerators is small as a result of the composition of the waste. To produce energy from waste, significant amounts of plastic, dry paper and fuels are needed, which in Albania are usually recycled informally or end up in landfills without separation at source. This makes the combustion process not only inefficient, but also harmful to the environment, as it releases polluting gases for a minimal energy result," says Qirjo.
While Albania has officially opened negotiations for membership in the European Union, one of the most challenging chapters that awaits it on this path is Chapter 27 – Environment and Climate Change. This chapter requires not only legal compliance with EU directives, but also real implementation on the ground, especially in one of the most problematic areas: waste management. In this regard, the country needs to review its strategy.
"For Albania, the problem is not simply in compliance with EU directives on waste management, but in their real implementation in every municipality and city in the country. Waste collection without source separation, the lack of recycling systems, abuse of incinerators and dependence on primitive landfills make this chapter one of the most difficult to overcome," Françeska Korançe, a lecturer and environmental expert, tells A2 CNN.
At a time when Brussels is talking about green standards, in many Albanian municipalities we still throw away waste without separation at source, without a recycling system, and with landfills that are burned or covered with soil. Incinerators, which were supposed to be a modern solution, have become a symbol of corruption and abuse.
"The recent fire at the Elbasan incinerator, the only plant that worked partially and is now under sequestration, is the most painful metaphor of this failure. While official documents talk about energy capacity and waste treatment, in reality we have abandoned buildings, depreciated equipment and burned public funds, not waste," says Korançe.
For Albania, the waste chapter is not just a technical test, it is a political, moral and civic test. Without resolving this protracted crisis, the path to the EU risks remaining symbolic, while the smell of waste, very real. (A2 Televizion)
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