1. Waste Management in Republic of Serbia
Aleksandar Vesić Bsc
Assistant Minister
Sector for managing and planning

2. Institutions in Waste Management
Ministry of Environmental Protection
Secretariat for Environmental Protection and Sustainable development of Vojvodina Province
Local – municipal authority
Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA)
Environment Protection Fund
Recycling Agency
Laboratories for waste characterisation
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia

3. National Waste Management Strategy
Adopted in 2003
A basic document providing conditions for the rational and sustainable waste management
Main goals: orientation of waste management for the next period, short-term and long-term period, in compliance with EU directives
Main principles: sustainable development, regional approach to waste management, precaution, “the polluter pays”, waste management hierarchy, implementation of the best practical environmental options (BPEO), producer’s responsibility
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia

4. Waste Management Options according to the Strategy
Waste reduction at source
Reuse
Recycling
Composting
Anaerobic Digestion
Waste Incineration
Other methods for treatment of waste
Waste disposal
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia

5. Progress in the policy preparation
National Sustainable Development Strategy
(public debate is on going)
Strategy for sustainable use of natural resources and goods (first draft is prepared)
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia

6. Waste Management Legal Framework
Law on Environmental Protection (2004)
Law on SEA (2004)
Law on EIA (2004)
Law on IPPC (2004)
Law on ratification of Basel convention (1999)
Law on waste handling (1996)
Law on transportation of hazardous substances (1999)
Regulations on determining the location and operations of waste disposal sites (1992)
Law on communal activities (1998)
Law on ratification on Kyoto Protocol (2007)
Regulation on type of pollution, criteria for calculation of cost recovery for environmental pollution, amount and the manner of calculation of fees (2005)
Regulation on parameters and criteria for return, release and reduction of paying charges for environmental pollution (2005)
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia

7. Waste Management Legal Framework
Draft Law on Waste Management in compliance with the EU Directives
(in procedure for adoption)
Draft Law on packaging and packaging waste
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia

8. Current situation in municipal waste management
Waste generation in Serbia is 0.8 kg/per capita/day 300 kg/year, 2003 (according to the National Strategy)
SEPA – report for 2006: 1.37 kg/per capita/day (500 kg/year)
50.5 % of municipal waste is collected; Rural areas are not covered by organized waste collection
Public Utility Companies – responsible for waste collection and transport
Waste disposal without any pre-treatment
There are about 160 official landfills (dumpsites) but only one proper sanitary landfill in operation at the moment
Dumpsites are often subject to uncontrolled burning
Insufficient number of containers
No organized recycling system at the moment
Low level of public awareness about waste management
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia

9. Municipal waste composition
Non ferrous metal 2%
Plastic 5%
Ferous metal 4%
Rubber 1%
Glass 7%
Organic waste
30%
Texstile
Other
21%
Paper and cardboard
26%
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia

10. Required Capacities for Municipal Waste Management
According to the Strategy:
29 regional sanitary landfills
44 transfer stations
17 recycling centres
7 composting facilities
4 incinerators
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia

11. Resent activities in Ministry
In 2004 and 2005 involved in investing in making project documentation for construction of regional sanitary landfills and rehabilitation of existing landfills
Environment Protection Fund continuing in financing of technical documentation for construction of regional sanitary landfills
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia

12. Results Construction of 4 regional sanitary landfills:
Kikinda (Ada, Zitiste, Nova Crnja, Novi Becej, Becej)
Nova Varos (Priboj, Prijepolje, Sjenica)
Uzice (Bajina Basta, Pozega, Arilje, Cajetina, Kosjeric, Lucani, Ivanjica, Cacak)
Prokuplje (Kursumlija, Blace, Zitoradja)
In preparation is construction of 5 regional sanitary landfills:
Leskovac (Lebane, Medvedja, Bojnik, Crna Trava, Vlasotince)
Pirot (Dimitrovgrad, Bela Palanka, Babusnica)
Sremska Mitrovica (Sabac)
Vrsac (Bela Crkva, Alibunar, Plandiste)
Smederevo (Pozarevac, Kovin)
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia

13. Urgent actions
Further harmonization of legislation with the EU Directives
Implementation of the Environmental and Sustainable development policies
Address of hot spot locations contaminated with hazardous waste
Construction of regional sanitary landfills
Biodegradable waste redirection from the landfills
High potential for waste recycling
Treatment and disposal facility for hazardous waste
Address of past pollution liability in the privatisation process
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia

14. Urgent actions High potential for waste recycling
Increasing of recycling rate according to the National Waste Management Strategy and National Environmental Strategy
Separation of packaging waste
Establishing of recycling centers for packaging waste
Treatment of electronic waste
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia

15. Current situation in hazardous waste management
There are no reliable data on the volumes of hazardous waste generated by industry
No any landfill for hazardous waste in Serbia
No treatment of hazardous waste in Serbia
Hazardous waste is keeping in the temporary storages (some of which operate for several decades) on the industrial sites
Enforcement of IPPC Law should improve the situation
Past pollution liability in privatisation process
Hot spot locations
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia

16. Required urgent actions
Establishing of cost-effective and environmentally sound solutions for each waste stream (PCB waste, POPs, pesticides, waste oil, end-of-life vehicle, fluorescent tubes, asbestos, batteries and accumulators, chemicals etc.)
Construction of hazardous waste landfill and treatment facilities
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia

17. Current situation in healthcare waste management
No segregation of infectious waste in the hospitals
No treatment of infectious waste
No specialized company for collection and proper transport of healthcare waste (collection and transport is provided by Public utility company which is responsible for municipal waste)
No specialized vehicles for transport of infectious healthcare waste
Disposal of infectious waste on the official municipal landfills (dumpsites)
There are on going projects financed by EAR on supplying of 78 autoclaves for treatment of healthcare waste in the hospitals of Serbia and technical assistance for national healthcare waste management plan and regulations on healthcare waste which are expected under the Draft law on Waste Management
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia

18. Required urgent actions
Separation of waste at its origin, proper handling, packaging, labelling, inactivation, and temporary storage (duration and conditions) in health care facilities,
Proper transportation of healthcare waste to its final destination for destruction and disposal,
Adequate treatment for each category of healthcare waste,
Responsibilities of public health authorities, producers of healthcare waste and waste disposal companies.
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia

19. Department for waste management
Zoran Tešić, Head of Department
Dragoljub Bijelovic, Chief of Unit for Industrial and Communal Waste
Radmila Šerović, Chief of Unit for Medical,
Biological and other waste streams
Ministry of Environmental Protection
of Republic of Serbia