According to statistics, in 2024, 1131 dumpsites in Moldova occupy an area of 1225 hectares of land. And there is a tendency to increase them, including spontaneously, said Alexander Macuhin, Doctor of Political Sciences, expert.
For example, the landfill on the outskirts of Basarabyaska was formed on the site of a pond intended for fish farming, which over time lost its commercial purpose. In 2023, according to the Environmental Inspectorate, more than 3,800 cases of unauthorized waste dumping were discovered. Efforts are made to eliminate them, and the organizers are fined, the total amount of which amounted to almost 4 million lei.
“About 90% of all waste generated by individuals is usually utilized through long-term storage. And it is naive to think that this type of disposal does not lead to soil, air and groundwater pollution. But people start to think about it when such a dump starts to burn somewhere nearby. As evidenced by the Fire Supervision Service, the number of fires at landfills is in the thousands and something has to be done about it,” said Alexander Makukhin.
The problem of waste utilization is not new, different governments and ministries have been trying to solve it for the last 25-20 years. More than 10 years ago, the government approved the Strategy and Program to improve waste management, which provided, in particular, for the construction of regional landfills.
“Unfortunately, we note that the implementation of this Program is not going as planned. Both local authorities and the population are to blame for this,” said Tatiana Tsuguy, Director of the Association of Pro Mediu Experts, a public organization. – On the one hand, people are indignant that nobody deals with the problems of landfills. And when it comes to choosing a site to build a landfill, where it would be possible to sort waste and compost what is biodegradable, politicization of this problem begins, sometimes for electoral purposes. We know of districts where such sites have been selected several times, depending on the coming to power of one party or another.
“We have a Strategy, which provides for the Territorial division of the country into 8 regions for waste management,” reminded MP Inna Kosheru. – Feasibility studies have been developed in some regions, they have been updated over time, but bureaucratic delays prevent these projects from being launched”.
At the same time, there are regions where contracts have already been signed to design and start construction of such landfills. The first in line is Ungheni district, as well as Calarasi and Nisporeni districts.
In Chisinau, separate waste collection is practiced in some sectors. Economically, it may not always be profitable, but much depends on how responsible the population is where such platforms are installed and where it is possible to sort waste.
“The year before last we did a morphological analysis of waste in Chisinau, Balti and 6 other settlements. And it was surprising that in Chisinau the population throws 60-70% of sorted waste. That is, with all the shortcomings, the residents are ready for it”, – said Tatiana Tsugui
According to her, there are economic entities ready to sort plastic, glass, paper. That is, the introduction of the principle of “extended producer responsibility” into the law has begun to work. Six types of products fall under this law: electronic equipment, packaging, batteries and accumulators, tires, waste oil and machinery.
As for the rest, Moldova will launch a project on cooperation with Sweden on waste recycling (by incineration) into energy. Such technology has been actively applied in Sweden for the last 30 years. It is about waste that can be incinerated (textiles, contaminated packaging, paper), as well as about the application of the best technologies by which harmful emissions are prevented.
