Iremcon News

“THE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS IS A MUST FOR SUCCESS"

We had an interview with Linda Çavdarbasha, Deputy Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure of the Republic of Kosovo. 

Expressing that she acquired valuable information from IREMCON and implement this information in her country, Deputy Minister Çavdarbasha said, “I witnessed at IREMCON that every type of waste is recycled in Turkey. The public and private sectors in Turkey cooperate. This is what we lack in Kosovo. If we want to be successful, we need to establish a connection and enhance cooperation between the public and private sectors.”

After the IREMCON event, we had an enjoyable interview with Linda Çavdarbasha, Kosovo Deputy Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, by the fireplace in WOW Istanbul Hotels & Convention Center. Deputy Minister Linda Çavdarbasha seemed very pleased to get an invitation from Turkey and for this interview. 

We discussed with Ms. Çavdarbasha the environmental management approach adopted by Kosovo and the problems they face in waste management. Not turning us down, Mr. Emir Adem helped us with translation during the interview. 

Deputy Minister Çavdarbasha noted that the public and private sectors in Kosovo are distant and uncooperative and this creates a barrier before all operations in the field of environmental management. 

Çavdarbasha also said, “The cooperation between public and private sectors is a must for success. I hope that the International Environment Conference (IREMCON) and the IFAT Eurasia Fair, which I visited, will create a bridge that will unite businessmen from the Balkans and other countries with state representatives.”

We hope you enjoy reading our interview with Ms. Çavdarbasha.

The New Kosovo Government Highly Sensitive about the Environment

Describing the environmental management in Kosovo for the readers of the Recycling Industry magazine, Linda Çavdarbasha, Kosovo Deputy Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, noted that the government still has work to do in this regard. 

Stating that the previous government kept the environmental issue in the background but the new government has been sensitive about it since the first day of office, Deputy Minister Çavdarbasha said, “If we are going to talk about waste management, the major problem of Kosovo is wastes. The necessary work has been neglected. 

All wastes were collected without separation and buried in landfills. Any regulation or draft law regarding the matter has not been passed. The current government, on the other hand, focuses on environmental issues. The people of Kosovo were also calling for action. The ministry and the government prepared a draft law. Waste management plans were created for the years 2021-2028 and 2021-2030. The target is to complete the planned projects and initiatives successfully in this period. Another project will also be realized and its revenues will be transferred to the activities that are targeted to be completed in this period.”

Landfills to be Renewed

Highlighting that the landfills in Kosovo completed their lifecycles and exceeded their capacity, Linda Çavdarbasha, Kosovo Deputy Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure said, “A new project is on our agenda. Our aim is to renew end-of-life landfills and increase their capacities. We are also working tirelessly to open new landfills.”

“Waste and Circular Economy are Key to Us” 

Pointing out that one of the key issues for the ministry is the recycling of waste into the circular economy currently, Deputy Minister Linda Çavdarbasha said, “It is important for us to shift toward a circular economy. We want to transform the prospective landfills into sorting facilities. Our desire is to generate income from these facilities. A new project is underway and we get assistance from GIS, a German-based research company, to reduce plastic bottles. GIS conducts research and offers surveys for this project. 

How will people adapt to this change; will they be able to get used to it, and how much time do we need? Reports to be issued based on this research will answer these questions. We expect this research to be completed by the end of 2022. After 2023, pet packages will be returnable and people will be refunded their deposits from deposit refund schemes. We cannot predict when this project will be implemented. We may need 2-3 years because this is a big job and requires extensive work. We will patiently follow up the process.” 

“50% of Collected Waste is Organic Wastes”

When we inquired about the waste collection figures in Kosovo, Linda Çavdarbasha, Deputy Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, said, “I can sum up the waste collection figures in Kosovo as follows: We have our shortcomings. Sorting process is not available. 580 thousand tons of wastes are collected annually. Organic wastes account for 50 percent of this figure.” 

“Kosovo Lacks Authorized Body!”

Telling us that 70% and 83% of the wastes were collected in 2017 and 2018, respectively and the companies working on the recycling of organic wastes in Kosovo are few, Linda Çavdarbasha, Kosovo Deputy Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, said, “We have achieved a 13-percent- ​increase in 1 year. But we still have our shortcomings. There are 90 licensed waste collection companies. But, unlike Turkey, we do not have any authorized body. Therefore, a major part of the wastes is buried in landfills. 

Two or three companies deal with organic wastes in Kosovo. These companies compost these wastes. They ensure their recycling. We also carry out small-scale pilot projects with municipalities. We distribute waste segregation boxes and small kits to houses so that they can compost organic wastes. We hope to establish a large factory in Kosovo. This factory will enable us to recycle the collected organic wastes and obtain compost. For this purpose, new draft laws and regulations are also enacted.” 

“We are Setting Up Waste Transfer Stations”

Highlighting that the new draft law and regulations will cover medical wastes, excavation wastes and hazardous wastes, Deputy Minister Linda Çavdarbasha said, “Based on this project, individuals who fail to segregate and throw their wastes on the street will pay the price. In other words, the polluter pays principle will be implemented. We face the consequences of lacking an authorized institution and not recycling all types of waste in our country. 

Our other innovation is to set up new waste transfer stations and ensure that they are managed in a controlled manner. Previous waste transfer stations were not managed well. The people of Kosovo have built small landfills in their way. They randomly threw wastes at these points. Some even did not take them at all. We, on the other hand, want to establish waste transfer stations. We want to make sure that wastes are transported from transfer stations to landfills. We want every landfill to be equal. We want them to be classified by their size and type of wastes.”

“Companies Operating pursuant to Waste Regulation is Limited”

Stressing the low number of companies operating pursuant to waste regulation, Deputy Minister Linda Çavdarbasha said, “For example, there is only a single company that collects pet wastes, but it faces difficulties as it is not managed by the law. They are not authorized to collect PET plastics, but can import wastes as they are not governed by the law. When they start to be managed by the law, they will collect PET wastes in the country more easily." 

“Kosovo Lacks Public-Private Sector Cooperation”

Linda Çavdarbasha, Kosovo Deputy Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, underlined that her biggest regret is the lost connection between the ministry and the sector in Kosovo and said, “Kosovo lacks public-private sector cooperation. This creates a barrier before all operations in the field of environmental management. Our target is to strengthen the waste management sector. The cooperation between the public and private sectors is a must for success. I am happy to be here. The knowledge I gained here is invaluable for me. I am very pleased with all my observations. I will put to use the knowledge I gained and all I observed here in Kosovo. 

Economic conditions are also an important factor for the development of the sector. The ministry set out a plan to be completed by 2050. We will use the income to be obtained from the waste management project for our efforts to develop the sector and promote new investments. I realized something at the International Environmental Conference-IREMCON. Every type of waste is processed in Turkey. Efforts are being made to recycle all types of wastes and bring them into the economy. This is what we lack in Kosovo. I hope that the International Environment Conference (IREMCON) and the IFAT Eurasia Fair, which I visited, will create a bridge that will unite businessmen from the Balkans and other countries with state representatives. What I observed and learned from IREMCON and IFAT Eurasia Fair will be useful for my country."

“IREMCON is a Great Experience for Me”

When we asked her opinion on the 4th IREMCON that was held with the main theme of "Combating Global Climate Change and Strengthening International Cooperation in Waste Management", Linda Çavdarbasha, Kosovo Deputy Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, said, “The conference drew my interest. It caught my attention that the participants were from all over the world. I followed the conference from the beginning to the end. All types of wastes were discussed and evaluated. Problems were discussed and solutions were suggested. These types of wastes evaluated here are the types that Kosovo faces the biggest challenges with. I observed in Turkey how some types of waste that constitute a problem in my country are recycled and brought into the circular economy. I want to evaluate what I learned here in Kosovo.”