Waste management in Republic of Moldova

Waste management in Republic of Moldova

Written by the Public Association National Environmental Center,
Republic of Moldova

This project is funded by the European Union

This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The
contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the National Environmental
Center and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.

Through its Re-granting Scheme, the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF)
supports projects of EaP CSF members with a regional dimension that will contribute to
achieving the mission and objectives of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum.
The donors of the re-granting scheme are the European Union, National Endowment for
Democracy and Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The overall amount for the 2016 call for proposals is 307.500 EUR. Grants are available
for CSOs from the Eastern Partnership and EU countries.
Key areas of support are democracy and human rights, economic integration,
environment and energy, contacts between people, social and labour policies.

2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Report ......................................................................................................................... 1
Table of contents ....................................................................................................... 3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................... 4
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 5
General information regarding curent state of waste management in Republic of
moldova.................................................................................................................... 7
Dynamics of Waste generation, including hazardous waste.......................................... 14
Role of the public in waste management.................................................................... 20

3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Even in the XXIst century, one the main problems, that is still faced by government
authorities, civil society and business environment is waste management. In Republic of
Moldova, the problem is growing due to the increasing quantity and diversity of waste,
as well as its negative impact on the environment. Urban and industrial development of
settlements and constantly increasing volume of household consumption brings to
generation of more and more waste, along with diversification of their composition.

The current waste management system is far from being in accordance with the
European standards. Over 90% of the accumulated waste is simply stored, and only a
small amount of the generated waste is collected separately and recycled. And the
causes are multiple: missing schemes concerning the extended responsibility of
polluters, charges for storage that are not practiced, local public authorities do not have
sources of information for the population, most of the NGOs do not possess the
knowledge how to train the public on the process of changing attitudes and behaviours
necessary to establish a responsible waste management approach, etc.

The percentage of the localities that have an efficient sanitation service is low in the
country. At national level, only 50% of the whole population of the country benefits
from sanitation, including about 80% of the population from urban area and 20% of the
population from rural area. Another acute problem for our country is lack of a
management system for hazardous waste (such as electrical equipment, used batteries,
solvents and chemical solutions, pesticides, mercury-vapour lamps, used vehicles,
expired food and others), which, at the moment, are mostly disposed on landfills and
waste dumps along with other solid waste.

Republic of Moldova signed numerous environmental agreements in waste management

field, but we are far from being a responsible recycling society which seeks to avoid
waste and uses waste as a resource. To make this possible, practical solutions are
needed, as well as financial investments and a strong dialogue with people to promote a
proper waste management system. Public involvement in waste management is not
limited to the processes of generation and disposal only, but at every stage of waste
management chain, even if it is sometimes not obvious and rarely recognized by the
public or even waste recovery operators.

This report is developed by the project implementation team of the National

Environmental Center with financial support of European Union through the regranting
scheme of the EaP CSF. The purpose of the report is to highlight the issue of waste
management in the light of the implementation of the Association Agreement signed
between the Republic of Moldova and European Union and which aims to improve
environmental standards in Moldova through chapters 16 and 17 on environment and
climate change including in the field of waste management. This report is developed for
the large public in order to better understand benefits which the AA will bring to

4
Moldova in waste management sector.

INTRODUCTION

Waste is the most fundamental, omnipresent and visible of all utilities

which exceed all boundaries that divide and define societies.

During the last time, waste generated as a result of daily activities became more and
more diversified.

There are several classifications of waste considering such criteria as: shape, physical
form (liquid, solid or gas), and these can come from a wide range of human activities
as: household consumption, industry, trade, transport, agriculture, medicine etc. Waste
can be also classified by origin (domestic, industrial, commercial, vegetal) or by
properties (inert, toxic, and inflammable). There are separate classifications of
hazardous waste that must be managed in their specific manner.

If not treated properly, waste can become source of environmental pollution and focal
point of diseases.

Considering missing capacities of waste treatment in the country, most of hazardous

waste is stored. It is a common practice all over the world to make some efforts to
reduce the quantity of waste that will be stored in the end. So this is the direction we
should follow, new systemic approach is now promoted and it defines that waste
management system must cover all activities of collection, transportation, treatment,
recovery and disposal of waste in eco-rational way.

From the perspective of EU membership, Republic of Moldova should recognize seven

general principles of waste management, described below:

Waste management hierarchy:

First is prevention of waste producing: prevention of waste producing is closely
related to improving manufacturing methods and influencing consumers to seek
ecological products with less package.

Waste recovery: In case if the production of the waste cannot be prevented,

materials should be recovered, as much as possible, preferably by recycling, in order
to preserve natural resources. EU directives require now from Member States to
introduce legislation on waste collection, reuse, recycling and disposal of waste

5
 streams. Several EU countries already manage to recycle 50% of packaging waste.

Waste disposal: Waste that cannot be recycled or reused should be safely

incinerated; landfilling should be used only as a last solution.

Self-sufficiency: Member States should establish, in cooperation with other

Member States an integrated and adequate network of waste disposal installations.
Proximity: waste should be disposed as close as possible to the source.
The precautionary principle: lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as
an excuse for failing to act. If there is a credible risk to the environment or human
health from the action or inaction regarding waste, that option that gives and answer
on cost effectiveness in relation to the identified rick should be selected.
Producer responsibility: economic operators, in particular producers, should be
involved in the goal of closing life cycle of substances, components and products from
their production throughout their useful life until they become waste.
Polluter pays: Those responsible for generation of waste and, consequently,
adverse environmental effects should be obliged to pay the expenses to avoid or
mitigate these negative consequences. A clear example can be seen in Directive
99/31/EC on landfills, article 10.

In the development of the Moldovan society, waste must be perceived as a source of

valuable raw material, with the promotion of such approaches as reuse, recycling and
energy recovery, regulating packaging waste, disposed vehicles, electrical and electronic
equipment, biodegradable waste and tires.

6
GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING CURENT STATE OF WASTE
MANAGEMENT IN REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

Policy framework

Improper waste management affects local communities, threat the environment and
contribute to global emissions of greenhouse gases during the last several years. In the
context of economic growth in the volume and diversity of generated waste, efficient
management and recycling becomes a local, national and international priority.

The overall objectives of waste management are the following (in order of priority):
At source reduction of waste production and its harmfulness;
Separate waste collection for recycling and recovery to the maximum possible level
from technical and economic point of view;
Various and specific waste treatment technologies, complementary as much as
possible;
Controlled storage of waste

New approach of hazardous waste management is based on environmental sound

management (ESM). The purpose is the following: to protect human health and
environment by reducing production of hazardous waste whenever is possible. ESM
means addressing through an "integrated life cycle approach" which involves severe
controls from generation of hazardous waste to storage, transport, treatment, reuse,
recycling, recovery and final disposal.

By signing the Association Agreement, Republic of Moldova has made certain

commitments on implementing the EU directives in waste management field.

The European legislative framework on waste has evolved in the following three
directions:

Basic rules for waste management in general (for all waste streams): Waste
Framework Directive; Waste Transportation Regulation;
Rules for specific waste treatment operations: Ex. Directives include those
related to landfills and waste incineration;
Rules for specific waste streams: for example Directives include those relating
to packaging waste, end of life vehicles, electrical and electronic equipment and
waste from the mining industries.
The first step in approximating EU policy is aimed at transposing Waste Framework
Directive 2008/98 / EC, which sets the basic requirements for an environmentally
friendly and proper waste management. This Directive also helps establish a functional
infrastructure for waste management. Moreover, waste management planning and a
reliable system for collecting and treating waste, both contribute significantly to a waste

7
management system which minimizes waste risks to human health and the
environment. Being based on this strategy, the Government has developed a strategic
and legislative framework accordingly.
Policy framework document on the task of proper waste management is Waste
Management Strategy of Moldova for 2013-2027 (hereinafter - the Strategy),
which aims to establish indicative pathway of infrastructure development activities and
services needed for waste managed accordingly in order to protect environment and
human health.
Through this Strategy, the Government is committed to develop a new legal and
institutional framework regulating waste management according to international
standards, including regulation of various waste streams and recycling operations,
recovery and disposal, establishing an effective and progressive institutional and
administrative management system, monitoring and enforcement of environmental
legislation, for attracting investments.
The strategy provides clear regionalization of waste management, so each development
region should develop its own scheme based on local specifics. Currently under
development there are: Regional waste management strategies for the Southern Region
(www.adrsud.md), Sectoral Programme for Regional Solid Waste Management for the
Central Development Region (www.adrcentru.md), Regional Sectoral Management Plan
for solid waste in the Northern Region (www.adrnord.md).

Institutional Framework

The problem of waste management in Moldova was outlined as an area with the
transition to a market economy and, in particular, because of increasing volume and
diversity of everyday consumed goods, including packaging.

Environmental Protection Law sets out the responsibility of the Government in

waste management, for the central public authority for environmental protection and
natural resources, the central public authority for health (currently Ministry of
Environment and Ministry of Health) and local government authorities and
responsibilities of individuals and businesses.

According to this law, competences of the Government in waste management field

are the following:
To recommend and implement top economic mechanism and technologies in
order to use rationally water and raw materials in production processes, limiting
the use of the components with negative effects on the environment and human
health, replacing them with inert alternative substances for obtaining recyclable
final products, energy and recyclable components;
To establish annual limits for waste accumulation and production, to oversee
compliance with those limits;
To establish fees for waste storage, processing and production and to establish
technical standards for transportation, storage, incineration and landfilling of

8
 non-recyclable waste to minimize harmful effects on human health and
environmental quality;
To create conditions to facilitate and encourage the collection and recycling of
metal, textiles leather, wood, rubber, waste oil and the production of energy
from waste.

Ministry of Environment is the competent authority, empowered with responsibilities

for developing and promoting the state policy, including legislative and regulatory code
in waste management.
The main role in waste management at local level is put on local authorities and results
of waste collection and disposal depend largely on their ability to organize this and
engage businesses and civil society in the accumulation of financial resources.

According to the Environment Protection Law, local public authorities, together

with environmental and health authorities are obliged to:
Allow storage of any waste (example domestic, industrial, agricultural, sludge
resulting from industrial activities, urban and agricultural, construction waste) in
special assigned and equipped places, agreed with the owners, taking into
account protection of surface and groundwater, human settlements, tourism and
landscape areas, and restoring land after exhausting its landfill capacity;
Establish annual limits for waste disposal in the village, town, district or
municipality and monitor storage site, same as technical standards for
processing, burning and burying of the accumulated waste;
Control environmental compliance and punish individuals and legal entities in
case of laws violation.

According to the Law, producers are those who are responsible to organize the
collection of used packing materials such as paper, cardboard, wood, glass, metal,
plastic and to ensure recycling, while the municipalities should create necessary
conditions to implement these tasks.

Actual Legislative Framework

Currently, the legal framework for waste management in the Republic of Moldova
includes:
1) Law no.1515-XII from 16th of June 1993 on environmental protection;
2) Law no.851-XIII from 29th of May 1996 on environmental assessment and
environmental impact assessment;
3) Law no.1102-XIII from 6th of February 1997 on natural resources;
4) Law no.1540-XIII from 25th of February 1998 on environmental pollution
fees;
5) Law no.1347-XIII from 9th of October 1997 on production and household
waste;
6) Law no. 1236-XIII from 3rd of July 1997 on harmful products and

9
 substances regime;
7) Law no. 40-XV from 19th of February 2004 on ratification of the Stockholm
Convention on President Organic Pollutants;
8) Government Decision no. 1296 from 20th of November 2008 on
methodology of environmental payments collection for goods import which, in
the utilization process, causes environmental pollution and plastic packaging of
imported goods and / or" tetra pack;
9) Provisions of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary
Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their disposal on national level were
transposed in Government Decision no.637 from 27th of May 2003, which
approved the Regulation on the control of transboundary waste and their
disposal, which establishes the mechanism of implementing the Basel Convention
provisions designed to ensure compliance with the requirements on
environmental safety in the export, transit and disposal of the waste;
10) Provisions of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
at national level have been partially reflected in Government Decision no. 1155
of 20th of October 2004, which approved the National Strategy on the reduction
and elimination of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and the National
Implementation Plan of the Stockholm Convention on POPs. About one third of
the stocks of pesticide contaminated with persistent organic pollutants were
destroyed (1293 tonnes) and disposed 18660 units of old electric condensers
that contained polychlorinated biphenyls with total weight of 934 tons. The
problem of reducing persistent organic pollutants that are formed as secondary
products from industry unintended activities (PCDD - dibenzo-p-dioxins, F -
dibenzofurans, HCB - hexochlorobenzene and PCBs - polychlorinated biphenyls)
requires priority solving in 2010-2015.

Law on Environmental Protection from 1993 provides the legal basis for
elaborating special regulations and instructions in waste management.
According to the Law from 1993, state policy on waste management should be based
on:
Recognizing that excessive accumulation of waste is the consequence of
irrational use of energy and raw materials affecting the environment, its makers
and health;
Awareness measures aimed for implementation of the technical solutions,
economic mechanism that would reduce the accumulation of waste, energy
production and recyclable parts of the production, household waste, isolation
and efficient disposal of the non-recyclable wastes.

In addition, Law prohibits the import of all the residue of raw or processed waste,
except processed paper waste and glass grit to be used by Moldovan companies as
secondary raw materials for processing, temporary storage, disposal, spreading on soil
or water or destruction in any way, according to Law from 1997 on production and
household waste (see below). Control and customs authorities are responsible for

10
compliance with the provisions of this article with the import and transportation of waste
and residues in the country.

Law on production and household waste from 1997 is a framework for regulation,
inventory, planning, control, supervision and monitoring in waste management field.

It regulates management of waste generated in:

Extraction of raw materials and processing of primary minerals;
Manufacturing, transportation and storage of technical articles, consumer goods,
energy and energy resources;
Construction, agricultural, mining and other works;
Service delivery;
Consumption of industrial products and food.

As such, the Law contains security-related environmental requirements:

Production of new materials and technologies, design and construction of any
facilities;
Landfills and waste disposal;
Prohibitions regarding waste disposal systems of water drainage and water,
storage and processing in the protection area of water bodies, areas of sanitary
protection of drinking water sources and aqueducts in recreation areas and
protected natural parks, protection zones of railways and roads;
Prohibitions on landfills and hazardous waste processing, production waste and
household waste in urban and rural areas, groundwater aquifers layers,
recreation areas and other places where it would endanger the environment and
human health; landfills in underground sites may be permitted in exceptional
circumstances and only after special investigations, in accordance with specific
rules, regulations and legislation requirements;
Collecting and buying from individuals the residues and waste of ferrous and
nonferrous metals, excluding waste batteries.

In addition, the Law contains provisions on funding sources and measures of economic
stimulation in waste management. The Law establishes fees for the production and
disposal based on the quantity.
Government Decision on control of transboundary waste and their
disposal 1 from 2003 approved categories of hazardous waste and the Regulation on
the control of transboundary waste in Moldova. This regulation has been adopted in the
context of harmonization of national requirements for environmental safety as a result
of export and transit of waste according to the recommendations of the Basel
Convention on the control of the transportation of hazardous waste across borders and
its disposal.

1
Government Decision on control of transboundary waste and their disposal No. 637 from 27th of May
2003 , published in Monitorul Oficial No. 099 from 6th of June 2003.
11
The Regulation establishes the mechanism of implementing the provisions of the Basel
Convention in order to ensure compliance with environmental safety requirements for
export, transit and disposal of hazardous wastes. For transboundary waste movements
monitoring, the Regulation provides a control system based on two waste lists: List A -
waste characterized as hazardous, and List B - hazardous waste without features
included in Annex 1. Waste disposal operations are listed in Annex 2 of the Regulation;
Annex 3 lists the characteristics of hazardous waste.

Legislative Framework under development

New draft of Law on Waste2, however, will establish a new regulatory framework for
waste management and will replace the Law on waste production and waste from 1997.
The law contains a five-step waste hierarchy, waste management plans, waste
prevention programs, specific obligations concerning the management of hazardous
waste, allowing system etc.
The new Law is transposing the EU Waste Framework Directive and obliges the country
to harmonize also other directives based on waste streams, such as Directive on
packaging waste, End-of-Life Vehicles Directive, Directive on the restriction of the use of
certain hazardous substances (RoHS) and on electrical and electronic equipment waste
(WEEE). This process will serve to increase the use of waste as a resource for
recovery/recycling and leads to less dependence on imports of raw materials such as
metals, plastics, glass, paper, etc. The Law, however, demands establishing separate
collection schemes managed by the producers of those goods or by the state.
From the moment that the new Law on waste will be approved by a final decision, a set
of regulations and regulatory actions would be needed. A part of them are already under
development. In this context, it is absolutely necessary to involve into the elaboration
process of these documents all the stakeholders such as: producers/importers of
products, specialist state agencies, same as the public.

Thus, the draft of Government Decision on approving the Regulation on

electrical and electronical equipment waste, is transposing the Directive
2012/19/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on waste
electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and contains provisions on requirements for
WEEE separate collection, disposal, transfer of WEEE and requirements for categories of
WEEE treatment, recovery, their adequate funding, provisions for registering and
reporting of information relating to the management of WEEE and other.

Draft of Government Decision on approving of the batteries and accumulators

and waste batteries and accumulators regulation provides a management system
for batteries and accumulators. The system will prevent the formation of the batteries
and accumulators waste by the principle of extended producer responsibility, based on
regulatory actions harmonized with the EU legislation on these specific types of waste.
The draft is transposing the requirements of the Directive 2006/66/EC of the European
Parliament and the Council of 6 September 2006 on batteries and accumulators and

12
waste batteries and accumulators and Directive 2013/56/EU of the European Parliament
and Council from 20th of November 2013 on modification of the Directive 2006/66/EC of
the European Parliament and the Council on batteries and accumulators and waste
batteries and accumulators, in the sense that placing on the market of portable batteries
and accumulators containing cadmium intended for use in cordless power tools and battery
type "button" with low mercury content are more suitable.

The Draft of the Government Decision to approve the Regulation on waste

incineration is elaborated in order to ensure the harmless eco-management of the
technological processes related to waste incineration and/or co-incineration. The draft of
this regulation contains relevant provisions of Directive 2010/75/EU of the European
Parliament and of the Council from 24th of November 2010 regarding industrial
emissions. Regulation is enforceable and extends to all economic agents from Moldova,
authorized to carry out incineration and/or co-incineration activities and who are obliged
to operate the installations for such activities in strict compliance with the Regulation.

A draft of the Government Decision that defines the List of waste, including hazardous
waste, is under development.
Other regulations related to certain types of waste that would be soon developed and
promoted contain:
Draft of the Government Decision on Regulation on waste storage which
implements the Directive 1999/31/EC on waste storage;
Draft of the Government Decision on Regulation on packaging and packaging
waste which implements the Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging
waste;
Draft of the Government Decision on end-of-life vehicles which implements
Directive 2000/53/EC from 18th of September 2000 on end-of-life vehicles.

Another section of the legislative framework development refers to control of the

transboundary movements control and disposal of the waste. This segment is
based on the procedure of written notification on transboundary movements of the
waste submitted to the competent authorities of the concerned countries and in
advance written agreement (approval) for waste transportation. More details are
provided in Instructions on completion of the notification of transboundary movements
of wastes and shipping form (2003)2.

In the draft of Law on Waste, new regulatory framework, being elaborated in a

participative way, should reduce the amount of random disposed waste, which is a
serious soil, water and air pollutant. As a result, environmental conditions and living and
health conditions for the population will be improved; also natural resources which are
currently used as raw material in various processes will be saved.

2
Instructions on completion of the notification of transboundary movements of wastes and shipping form
th
adopted by Order No.233 for 10 of November 2003 on the implementation of the Government Decision
th
no. 637 from 27 of May 2003 of the Ministry of Ecology, Construction and Territorial Development,
Monitorul Oficial no. 229 from 21th of November 2003.
13
DYNAMICS OF WASTE GENERATION, INCLUDING HAZARDOUS WASTE

Generation of the household/municipal waste is influenced by many factors,

the most significant being: the incomes of the population, consumer behaviour,
appearance on the market on new packed products and demographic evolution. Waste
management is a priority in the current conditions, when there is an organized selection,
recovery and controlled storage of the waste. Due to lack of facilities and inadequate
exploitation, landfills are among the recognized causes of impact and risk to the
environment and public health.
Consumption of food stuffs today generates more and more waste. The
introduction of new packaging, particularly plastic, has a significant impact on the
environment. Packaging made of polyethylene terephthalate that is so popular during
last years have replaced the glass packaging and bags, polyethylene bags or boxes
replaces the paper ones, affecting in this way the amount and composition of waste
generated. Increasing the number of supermarkets alongside the growth of GDP per
capita, increase the purchasing power of the packed products and therefore of the
generated waste. Urbanization also influences waste generation, and residents of urban
areas produce far more waste than those in rural areas.
Currently, the most widely used method of waste treatment is landfill disposal, which is
often a major source of soil and groundwater pollution.

Hazardous waste management is a global issue. These wastes have the highest
possible negative impact on health and environment, taking into account one or more
properties (example: combustibility, corrosivity, toxicity, etc.) that it can hold.
In any household could be found wastes containing hazardous chemicals that can
endanger human health and the environment, through handling, storage or improper
disposal (eg. in sewage system or farm yard). The consequences could be:
contamination of surface/ groundwater, possible injury to the landowner or sanitation
operator and/or it can increase the risk of polluting the sewer system. Also, when a
series of chemical/hazardous waste are discharged into the sewage system, collected
vapours could cause fire and explosion of the pipes. Under certain conditions, aerosol
cans may explode when compacting solid waste in the special-purposes vehicles, and
products such as chemical solutions could injure sanitation workers if they drain, spilled
or mix with other incompatible chemicals. In this context, particular attention should be
paid in managing these categories of waste, and this is possible with awareness and
empowerment of stakeholders in the process.

To estimate the volume of hazardous waste was used the methodology from
Methodological guide for the development of Inventories of hazardous wastes and
other wastes under the Basel Convention and data from the National Bureau of
Statistics3.

3
Data on hazardous waste generating dynamics were presented by the EPPO from Ministry of
Environment, based on the studies developed under the project EU MIS ETC 995
14
Electric and electronic equipment waste

Currently, an organized and regulated system of management of WEEE waste is missing,

although the volume of WEEE placed on the market is increasing. As a result, the
situation regarding generation of the WEEE is worrying, considering the fact that the
increasing amount of the WEEE on the territory of the country is almost uncontrollable
(total amount of the WEEE could increase from 10,5 Kt in 2010 to 21,7 Kt in 2027). This
will lead to excessive environmental pollution, with negative effects on the population
health. It is obvious that an regulation document is absolutely needed in this domain. In
the category of WEEE could be included: small and big appliances, telecommunication
and IT equipment, lighting equipment, medical equipment, toys, monitoring and control
instruments etc. WEEE contains dangerous substances (mercury, cadmium, lead,
hexavalent chromium, biphenyl etc.), which is an important problem in WEEE
management, and reflects on insufficient recycling of the WEEE.
Currently, in Moldova, 2 business entities are working in the WEEE management sector
and have their licence on collection, transportation, storage and commercialization of
the WEEE. There is no company in Moldova that has the authorisation to treat or
process this type of waste4.

Mineral oil waste

Mineral oil waste could be generated by the transport sector, machinery used by industry
and the energy sector through transformers which use mineral oil as an insulating agent.
Waste oil can be generated by the transport sector, machinery used by industry and the
energy sector through transformers, which use mineral oil as an insulating agent.

Generation of waste mineral oil in the transport sector can be estimated on the basis of
waste generation rates specific to each type of vehicle and national statistics on the
number of vehicles registered. According methodologies demonstrated in the case of
Turkey by . Ylmaz (2006), the fair use rates in the Republic of Moldova following
results were obtained on different types of vehicles:

Table no 1. Estimating the potential quantity of waste oil generated by

transport in Moldova in 2015

Number
l/year kg/year5
Car 516,609
2,221,419 2,001,278
Truck 171,245
15,840,163 14,270,417
Tractor 36,870
1,142,970 1,029,703
Motorcycle 35,165
151,210 136,225
Bus 21,277
9,042,725 8,146,599
Total 28,398,486 25,584,221
Source: Number of the vehicles was taken from the www.mtic.gov.md.

4
Data valid for September 2016
5
The transformation of liters in kilograms was performed taking as basic report of 1.1 l - 1 kg
15
Unfortunately, the National Bureau of Statistics does not give data on average distance
travelled by the vehicles in Republic of Moldova, so it is very difficult to adjust the
estimations. For this reason, an indicator could be estimated by a research through
questionnaires.

Regarding the estimation of mineral oil waste produced by industrial plants, it is

impossible to make this calculation in the absence of statistical data.

Thus, in Figure 1 is observed that during the last six years net imports of insulating oil
has continuously falling (with the exception of 2011 and 2014) from 180 tons to 98
tons. We assume that this amount could remain relatively constant in the near future,
given the close connection between the number and capacity of transformers, which will
be relatively constant, and the volume of insulating oil consumed in them. The entire
amount of oil is a potential amount of waste oil.

9.000.000
8.000.000
7.000.000
6.000.000
5.000.000
4.000.000
3.000.000
2.000.000
1.000.000
0
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Name of the axis

Figure1. Net imports of lubricating oil for the period 2009 - 2014 in Moldova,
kg

16
Tires waste

600.000

Anvelope pneumatice noi,

500.000 din cauciuc buc.

400.000

Anvelope pneumatice
300.000 resapate sau uzate, din
cauciuc; bandaje; benzi de
rulare amovibile pentru
200.000 pneuri si "flapsuri", din
cauciuc buc.
Camere de aer, din cauciuc
100.000 buc.

0
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Figure 2. Net imports of tires and rubber tubes, pieces

Regarding the estimated waste rubber from tires and used inner tubes, it could be
performed on the assumption that all new and retreated tires and inner tubes, which are
imported, sold in the same period and, respectively, it is equal to the amount of waste
tires and inner tubes. We consider this reasonable assumption, considering that usually
were purchased new tires when others are already becoming unusable (waste).
However, in Moldova there is no local production of tires and inner tubes.
Thus, if we analyse the trend of net imports during the period 2009 - 2014, it is noted
that both net import of tires and net import of inner tubes marked a quite pronounced
increase, from 365.8K pieces to 558.4K pieces for new tires, respectively, from 109.3K
to 309.0K pieces for inner tubes. This is a result of, on the one hand, increasing the
vehicle fleet in the Republic of Moldova by 30% in the same period, and on the other
hand, assuming that the average distance travelled by a vehicle in the same period also
increased, that means that the use of vehicles is also high. We assume that this upward
trend could continue to be maintained, but with a lower rate due to the increase of the
vehicles fleet and the extent of their use over a year.
Meanwhile, net imports of used tires fell more than 3 times in the same period, from 43
200 pieces in 2009 to 13800 pieces in 2014, a trend that could stay longer, keeping in
mind that drivers probably are turning to use new tires more and more.

Waste from batteries and accumulators

Estimation of waste batteries and accumulators is quite difficult to perform, on the

17
grounds that some of them are thrown into the environment as household waste.
Republic of Moldova does not have a strict regulation in the collection of used batteries
and accumulators.
The draft Regulation on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and
accumulators, developed by the Ministry of Environment, implement the relevant
provisions of Directive 2006/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council from
6th of September 2006 on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and
accumulators (WBA) and Directive 2013/56/EU of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 20th of November 2013 for modification of Directive 2006/66/EC of the
European Parliament and the Council on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries
and accumulators in the regard of placing on the market portable batteries and
accumulators containing cadmium intended for use in cordless power tools and battery
type "button" with low mercury content, and repealing Decision 2009/603/EC. The
regulation provides that the necessary measures to maximize the separate collection of
waste batteries and accumulators and to minimize the disposal of batteries and
accumulators as mixed municipal waste in order to achieve a high level of recycling for
all waste batteries and accumulators should be assured through necessary measures at
the national level.

Such an approach was taken for estimating consideration as net imports of batteries and
accumulators, which serve as the basic source of waste generation with a certain time
lag.

12.000.000

10.000.000

8.000.000

6.000.000

4.000.000

2.000.000

0
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Figure 3. Net imports of primary cells and primary batteries, pieces

If we analyse the net imports of primary cells and primary batteries, over the period
2009 - 2014 was registered a slight increase from 7.4 million pieces to 10.0 million

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pieces. Data on foreign trade of the Republic of Moldova on this category of goods is
given only in physical units, so, unfortunately, it is impossible to estimate the
quantitative expression of them. In the next period we assume that the volume of net
imports of primary cells and primary batteries will remain relatively constant or will not
register significant increases.

400.000

350.000

300.000

250.000

200.000

150.000

100.000

50.000

0
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Figure 4. Net import of electric accumulators pieces

3.500.000

3.000.000

2.500.000

2.000.000

1.500.000

1.000.000

500.000

0
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Figure 5. Net exports of waste and scrap of primary cells, primary batteries and
electric accumulators; cells and primary batteries and electric accumulators
waste,kg

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ROLE OF THE PUBLIC IN WASTE MANAGEMENT

Recognition of the role of public in waste management is vital and should

encourage people to reduce waste in the near future because the supply of
new resources could become a challenge for the global economy.

People and waste are linked by definition. It would seem that "waste" is simply
something that people do not want, but this definition does not tell us why this object
has become undesirable and we cannot say how objects might be desired again in the
future, returning a product to non-waste status.
In her thesis, Redefining the Concept of Waste and Waste Management (2002), Eva
Pngracz, suggests a new approach to classifying the waste categories:

Unwanted objects that were created either unintentionally or have not been
avoided and were not allocated a purpose.
Emissions
Waste processing
Waste cleaning, etc.

Objects that have an end with a finite function and were therefore designed to
become waste.
Disposable items (matches for example)
Most of the packages
Disposable diapers
Items with a well-defined purpose, but whose performance is not more
acceptable
Broken or damaged products
Demolition waste
Batteries
Mobile Phones
Computers and more electronic goods

Items with a well-defined and acceptable performance, but whose owners

have failed to use them for their intended purpose:
Non-consumed packed good
Appliances
Household equipment
Books and magazines

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We have already mentioned that the population is the waste producer. It needs to be
more informed about everyone impact and role in the creation of waste we face today.
The population also is using services of waste collection system and therefore need to
understand how these services are working, what the costs are and what the
consequences are if this kind of service will not work at all.

By paying charges or taxes, population is the main source of the financing of the waste
management system. Thus, the financer has the democratic right to question and
change procedures, became an important political force that can influence the situation.

Public involvement in waste management is not limited to the processes of generation

and disposal, but every stage of the waste management chain, even if it is sometimes
not obvious and rarely recognized by the public or even by the waste recovery
operators.

MAIN PRIORITIES AND CHALLENGES IN ESTABLISHING AN EFFICIENT

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Currently in the country there is a well-regulated and organized waste management

system is missing, although their volume of waste is growing. Currently, most waste is
deposited in landfills. The situation is even more alarming in rural areas, where most
solid waste is arriving in ravines or is burned.

Once the stopping of the storage of solid waste Chisinau municipality on the Tintareni
village landfill happens, it brought in considerable damage not only to residents of
Bubuieci village, but also the entire population of the capital. Not resolved soon, the
state of affairs with temporary storage of waste will worsen in the near future.

Therefore, the situation is becoming increasingly worrying, considering the fact that the
flow of hazardous waste is increasing, which will lead to excessive pollution of the
environment, with negative effects on population health.

Improving the legal framework in the field of waste management according to European
standards becomes more and more crucial for Moldova.

Even the new Law on Waste transposes provisions of the Waste Framework Directive
2008/98/CE into the Moldovan legislation, still there is a need for other important
improvements:

- Necessity to come back to incineration and co-incineration of waste, when no

other options could be identified. Incineration was incuded in the first draft of the
Law on Waste, but were eliminated in the second draft of the law which was
voted by the Parliament of Moldova in August 2016. Thus by developing a
Regulation on waste incineration, Moldova could transpose provisions of

21
 Directive 2010/75/UE of teh European Parliament and the Council from 24
November 2010 on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and
control). If at present incineration istallations do not exist in Moldova6, then a
cement factory already co-incinerated waste 7 in the past on the basis of
authorisation on waste management. Thus this issue should be included in the
governmental agenda for the next period of time.

- Promotion of specific regulations and creation of necessary infrasctructure to

manage hazardous waste such as WEEE, batteries, used oils, disposed vehicles,
etc.

- Introducing of producers extended responsibility in partnership with economic

entities, which would manage waste included in this principle. Here opportunities
of collaboration between economic entities and NGOs could be identified in order
to facilitate the access to information on opportunities for public, watchdog
activities could also be implemented to monitor the implementation of legislation
by economic entities.

- Improvement of national system of Waste evidence, which will contain data

on generation, collection, transportation and treatment of waste.

- Improving the management system of packaging waste.

Ensuring an adequate network of collection, transportation, recovery and then disposal

in safe and legal conditions, and developing recovery facilities will become an urgent
task for all structures in Moldova.

Reduction and better management of certain waste streams will be another priority for
our country. Moreover, it is proposed a separation of biodegradable waste in landfills
and resource collection with subsequent recovery of certain waste streams such as
batteries, WEEE, tires, lamps containing mercury vapors, end-of-life vehicles, etc.

Raising awareness, behaviour change and understanding problems of proper waste

management will be another priority for our country.

6
) installation for waste incineration any equipment or technical equipment, fixed or mobile, foreseen
for thermic treatment of waste, with or without using heat through incineration.
7) installation for waste co-incineration any technical equipment, fixed or mobile, which has as a main
goal production of energy through waste incineration.
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