Shkodra is expected to be the main destination for waste from 21 municipalities across the country, which cover a third of Albania's territory.
According to the 2027 draft budget, not only the northern municipalities will be oriented towards the Shkodra waste management area, but also those of the Elbasan and Fier regions, which are located hundreds of kilometers away.
Data shows that 34% of the country's municipalities, which also represent a third of the country's territory, will deposit waste in the Municipality of Shkodra and for this will receive additional funding from the state budget.
In addition to environmental problems in the capital of the North, waste management in this way will have an extraordinary cost of transportation, for example from Librazhd to Shkodër, taking into account the heavy traffic. A truck leaving from Përrenjas with waste has to stay for several hours in Elbasan traffic and then several more in Tirana and Lezha.
According to the government plan, 21 municipalities are included in the Shkodra waste management area. They represent 34.4% of Albania's municipalities and extend over about 9,625 square kilometers, or approximately 33.5% of the national territory.
The first group includes the municipalities of Malësi e Madhe, Shkodër, Vau i Dejës, Pukë, Fushë Arrëz, Lezhë and Kurbin.
But the list also expands to include the municipalities of Librazhd, Elbasan, Rrogozhinë, Peqin, Cërrik, Belsh, Përrenjas and Gramsh, which according to the document will be financed for the transport of waste to the Shkodra area.
The municipalities of Fier, Lushnje, Roskovec, Patos, Divjakë and Mallakastër also have the same destination.
The inclusion of municipalities in Central and Southern Albania in the Shkodra waste management area raises questions about the way transport will be organized, the distances that vehicles must travel, and the financial costs that will be created for local governments, also due to traffic chaos.
Additional funds for waste transportation to Shkodra will be allocated in the form of an unconditional sectoral transfer. The distribution by municipalities is based on two criteria, the annual amount of waste and the additional costs of transportation to the final collection and processing points.
This means that the state budget will financially support waste transportation, but municipalities will also have to contribute with their own revenues to cover the costs.
In addition to Shkodra, the document defines the Tirana management area for six municipalities, Kruja, Durres, Vora, Kamez, Shijak and Kavaja.
The Gjirokastra area includes ten municipalities, while six other municipalities are oriented towards the Korça management area./Monitor
