Waste, a constant problem for Romania
The National Environmental Guard has lodged a complaint against an enterprise accused of burying waste
Mihai Pelin, 17.05.2022, 13:50
Romania is
struggling with the logistics of managing illegal imports of waste, considering
that hundreds of illegal transports enter Romania on a daily basis, the
Environmental Guard warns. Last year, the Guard carried out 3,000 inspections
in border checkpoints, which resulted in 41 criminal investigations. Meanwhile,
large quantities of waste imported illegally reach landfills across the
country, where the storage tax is much lower compared to Western Europe. One
solution would be to increase the tax to similar levels elsewhere in Europe, as
well as to increase the number of inspections and the level of fines. In the first
four months of 2022, over 1,000 transports of waste were inspected, part of
which were banned from entering the country, while in the case of others the
companies in question were handed fines or were subjected to criminal
investigations.
The most frequent issues in this sector have to do with
misfiling data in official transport documents or irregularities between
official statements and the actual cargo. On the other hand, the Guard has for
the first time lodged a criminal complaint for illegal waste burial. The
Environment Ministry announced that, at the end of an inspection carried out at
the waste sorting station in District 3 in the capital city, which is
subordinated to the municipal waste collection company, Environmental Guard
inspectors identified an area of approximately 4,000 square meters that
presented clear evidence of burial of construction waste, as well as plastic,
ceramics and wood waste. The enterprise received a 6,000-Euro fine for functioning
without a green permit.
We recall Parliament has voted a new law in an attempt
to stop illegal waste burning or burial. Already submitted to the president for
ratification, the law stipulates harsh sanctions for enterprises and
individuals, including prison sentences of up to 5 years. The initiators of the
draft law recall that stopping or at least curbing illegal waste burning is of
key importance to the health of the population. According to a European study,
the plastic in home appliances becomes 4,000 times more toxic than wood when
burned. Unfortunately, the burning of materials to obtain various metals that
are sold on the market is a widespread phenomenon in Romania, impacting both
the environment and public health. From 2019 to date, over 870 tons of waste
have been burned, part of which were composite materials used to obtain metals.
At national level, over 29,000 people die to pollution-related preventable
illnesses. (VP)
