Self Cleaning Attitude: an European Union project for the implementation for

separate collection of waste in Republic Of Moldova

Michele Giavini, ARS Ambiente Srl, Italy – giavini@arsambiente.it

Giorgio Ghiringhelli, ARS Ambiente Srl, Gallarate (VA)

Ferruccio Ceccarelli, Melissa Nava - Euroimpresa Legnano Scrl

Roxana Burlac, Alina Candu – Isimbardi International Srl – Chişinau (Moldova)

Vitalie Sorocan – EU Integration Office, Rayon Edineţ (Moldova)

Abstract

The introduction of separate collection schemes in the poorest countries is a difficult task, but some

significant result can be achieved if a good sensitization towards children and citizens is made. In

this EU funded project an interesting set of actions was performed in the Rayon of Edinet, Republic

of Moldova.

1. Introduction

Waste disposal and waste treatment are major concerns for the quality of the urban environment in most

cities of the Republic of Moldova. At the moment, most domestic waste is deposited in legal or illegal

landfills. Most of the sites are not properly authorised and do not meet the modern environmental and

sanitary requirements, especially in rural areas such as those bordering the European Union [1].

The Tacis Cities Award Scheme (TCAS) [2] has been launched by The European Union for funding

municipalities in countries outside EU but with common borders with it (Belarus, Moldova, Russia,

Ukraine, Georgia).

The aim of the project is that to intervene on civil society on the whole through gradual steps.

Institutions have been involved in the project as main promoters of the activities. Much of the

burden of the environmental problems in Moldova falls to the municipal level, but municipalities

have often to cope with the inertia of the leaders and the low technical basis of the municipalities

staff. The action aims to contribute to the needs of this target group through the creation and the

reinforcement of a Rayon community, where the cooperation and the consolidation of more

participative communication procedures between the governmental institutes at different levels will

lead to a more rational use of financial, human and technical resources.

In particular, this project aimed at sowing the seeds for going towards a more sustainable waste

management system, according to the priorities given by the European Union [3] [4].

2. The project: separate collection of waste

The “Self Cleaning Attitude” project has been implemented in the municipalities of Edineţ 20.083

inhabitants) and Cupcini (9.382 inhabitants), located in the northern part of Moldova, about 200 km

far from Chisinau, the capital. In Edinet the system of collecting waste is based on old and damaged

iron containers for unselected waste, with no cover, grouped in platforms with 3-5 containers. These

platform are used mainly by citizens living in jointly-owned buildings, soviet-style.

Pict. 1 - Location of the Rayon Edinet in Moldova

Pict. 2 - The waste collection system before the project

The goals of this project for the city of Edinet were very tough, namely:

- Preliminary feasibility evaluation by means of a waste audit with sorting analysis;

- Sensitization towards citizens and children about the new collection;

- Purchase of new vehicles for the collection;

- Beginning of a separate collection scheme with new road containers for:

o Glass

o Plastic

o Organic waste

o Unselected waste

- Construction of a composting site with air blowers and all the needed equipment.

For the town of Cupcini the target was simpler, because at present citizens were disposing waste

outside their house without any container and collection is done manually; the project simply stated

the positioning of new iron containers and the purchase of a new collection vehicle.

3. Analysis of the waste

A waste audit with sorting analysis was performed in January 2007, to evaluate what kind of waste

are mostly produced in Edinet and Cupcini.

Moldova is one of the poorest countries of the European area, and the production of waste is

expected to be strictly linked to the lifestyles of the citizens.

Nonetheless, the analyses performed in January by the technician of the italian company Ars

Ambiente Srl, partner of the municipality for this project, revealed some interesting data.

To execute the analysis, the local workers of the municipality company collecting waste have set up

a good manual screening unit, too expensive to be transported from Italy. The weighs of the

fractions were determined using a small manual dynamometer, as shown in the pictures.

Pict. 3 - The set up for the waste analysis performed

The results of the audit show that the composition of waste presents some similarities to waste

produced in more rich countries; mainly, the high content of biodegradable organic fraction. In the

following charts is presented the composition of waste produced in one of the two cities.

Edineţ

Glass

20,4%Plastic

17,2%

Diapers

0,7%

M ixed material

packaging

1,0%

Stones and

ceramics

10,3%

< 20 mm (under

screen)

11,6%

Paper

7,2%

M etal

3,3%Textiles

2,3%

Food and garden

waste

26,1%

Pict. 4 - Results of the waste audit

An immediate remark is the high quantity of fine waste (< 20 mm). As generally assumed, the

composition of this fraction is almost all organic (about 80%), the remaining 20% is sand or inert

materials. So in the following chart there are summarized the main recyclable fractions (organic

biodegradable waste, glass, plastic, paper, metal, other)

Edineţ

Plastic

17,2%Glass

20,4%

Organic

35,4%

Other

16,5%

Paper

7,2%

Metal

3,3%

Pict. 5 - Results of the waste audit - summarized

After these analyses, it can be stated that in the area involved by the project, the percentage of

recyclable fractions in domestic waste is 80 – 90 %, a very high rate with respect to European

standards and results from similar waste audits. In particular, there were found a lot of organic

biodegradable waste, small quantity of paper, very little plastic bags (shoppers), especially in

Cupcini. This respects the local economy and habits of the citizens.

With respect to the project, these results give enough support to the depicted strategy, i.e. to start

the collection of organic waste, plastic and glass: these three fractions have shown to be the most

important in weight. If this new source separation is done by all the citizens, a recycling rate of

about 75% could be achieved, which is very high and, according to the European standards and best

practices, the maximum possible.

4. The sensitization phase

The 5 key points affecting the success of a separate collection schemes are the following, the

balance of whose is influenced by the cultural background of the country:

1. Environmental education towards citizens

2. Ease and comfort for the citizens

3. Economic advantage for doing separate collection

4. Regulations, compulsory feeling and controls by the local body

5. Assurance of the real recycling of the fraction collected

Because of the low ecological culture of Edinet and Cupcini population, the actions provided for a

sensitization campaign meant to raise the citizens responsibility, especially among children, social

activism and the efficiency of ecological activities in educational institutions.

The local NGO “Demos” managed to set up a series of activities starting from schoolchildren and

young people so to trigger communication and information exchange with parents and adults. The

slogan for the campaign has been “E timpul schimbărilor!” (It’s time for changing). The activity

have foreseen several actions:

- “Peer to peer” education: The contents of this training activities will be the R. Moldova’s

legislation in environment sector, education methods on ecology, the informing of children and

young people, street actions.

- “Peer” trainings with children and young people of pre-university institutions: this action will

directly involve children and teenagers who will be encouraged to become promoters of new

comportments and attitudes regarding environment, informing and sensitizing coevals, parents,

neighbours about the new methods of waste collection.

- “Competition GRAFFITI”: schools will promote the organisation of a graffiti competition

(“beginning with yourself”).

- Contest of placards “Ecological path”: children and young people from schools will be involved

in the setting up of a “Ecological path” where to place encouragements awards, sensitisation

placards on the theme of environmental protections, waste recovery etc..

- Street actions of a young team of volunteers: sensitization campaigns meant to inform people

about the development and the effects of project activities, encourage people in changing their

attitude.

- One day cleaning up campaign of streets and parks: school children will be directly involved in

the cleaning up of streets and green areas in order to make them aware of the entity of the

environmental problems.

- Music festival “With a clean heart – for a clean city”:

- Sensitization of citizens living in flats of jointly-owned buildings, explaining the new collection

system and delivering a plastic basket for food waste and a leaflet.

- Production of two videos for use as a social spot on the local televisions.

5. The construction of the composting site

At present all waste in Edinet and Cupcini go to a municipal landfill which receives without any

fee. It is a dump with no control and protection, and even single citizens have access to it. An

important phase of the project have been the cleaning of a big part of the landfill site and the

positioning of air blowers, channels and all equipments for starting a small composting facility with

the aerated static pile system.

A local company has been given the commitment to build a very simple screening unit, to be

coupled to the new tractor purchased with the project, in order to obtain a good quality compost to

be used in agriculture. The input organic fractions will come both from the separate collection of

citizens and green waste from the local silviculture public company.

Pict. 6 - The construction of the composting site

6. The implementation of the new separate collection

The new separate collection scheme actually started on July 26th

2007. In all the 25 platforms the

old iron containers were substituted with the new ones, differentiated by colour and with bilingual

signs (Romanian and Russian). The new platforms were set up with asphalt and surrounding net.

Pict. 7 - The new platforms for separate collection

7. Results

The first results show that the quality of the new collection is to be improved yet. A lot of citizens

don’t care about this issue, but we must keep in mind that there is a big percentage of citizens not

paying at all the local waste fee (contract with the municipality). The first contacts and agreements

are being carried out with the very few enterprises in Moldova which will buy the glass and plastic

collected, once it has a good quality.

A new improvement of the sensitization phase is under development, with the participation of

ecological inspectors who will stand in front of the platforms for three months to explain the new

collection system directly to the citizens coming for the delivery of waste.

As a conclusion, we can say that this project, with very difficult tasks and goals, has achieved up to

now some important results even if it has many difficulties due to the low participation of citizens

and delays due to local burocracy. But most af all, for the first time in Moldova it has shown that a

positive interaction between local institutions, citizens, children and NGO is possible and if carried

on for enough time can lead to unexpected results even in countries where environmental awareness

is not so high.

Pict. 8 - First results of the separate collection

Bibliography

[1] National Institute of Ecology, Republic of Moldova: State of the Environment Report 2003.

Cişinau, 2004, ISBN 9975-9642-1-4

[2] TCAS: Tacis Cities Award Scheme. http://tcas.rec.org/

[3] European Commission, EU Focus on Waste Management, 1999, ISBN 92-828-4825-6

[4] EU Commission, Taking sustainable use of resources forward: a thematic strategy on the

prevention and recycling of waste, Brussels, 21.12.2005 COM(2005) 666 final.