MANAGEMENT OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE IN TIRANA: PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES

The rapid urbanization and high rates of economic and social development in the following 20 years impose a great challenge to the sustainable development of Albania. This paper examines the management of municipal solid waste (MSW) in Tirana, the capital of Albania and the biggest municipality of the country. Information on the amount and composition of MSW and an overview of the collection, treatment and disposal of MSW will be given in this paper. At present the daily amount of MSW generated per person is about 1 kg, food wastes make up about 44,1% of a total of MNU. Humidity content in MSW is about 37,4% and low heat value (LHV) is 8658 kJ/kg. These are the premises for incineration with energy recovery of MSW and a method to neutralize the problematic components of MSW. Actually the only method of MSW disposal in Tirana is the discharging of waste in the Sharra dumpsite. The Sharra dumpsite, an open dumping until two years ago, is now in the process of becoming a sanitary landfill. The former open dumping is a major source of pollution in Tirana and its surroundings. In this paper the problems and possibilities required for the management of MSW are analyzed and some suggestions are given for improving the management of the MSW system.