Workshop on waste data collection system for EIONET reprezentatives from West Balcans 4 May Zagreb, Croatia WASTE STATISTICS IN ROMANIA Author: Luminita Stefanescu Waste Department ICIM Bucharest

Main reasons for waste statistics Identify types/quantities of generated waste, recycling possibilities and final disposal practices Evaluate and monitor evolution of generated waste and changes in recycling /reuse processes Easy decision making in environmental protection (strategy & plan for waste management) Disseminate information on waste management Assure comparability of waste data reported to European and international authorities

European legislation supporting the waste statistics TECHNICAL ACTS Waste Framework Directive 75/442/EEC Council Decision 91/689/EEC on Hazardous Waste The European waste catalogue and hazardous waste list - valid from and based on: - Commision Decision 2000/532/EC as amended by: - Commision Decision 2000/118/EC - Commision Decision 2000/119/EC

European legislation supporting the waste statistics STATISTICAL ACTS Regulation (EC) no. 2150/2004 on Waste Statistics Common Questionnaire Eurostat/OECD/EEA on the state of environment - section Waste

National legislation supporting the Romanian waste statistics Environmental Protection Law Law of Waste Governmental Decision on waste reporting and adoption of European Waste Codification GD 155/ introduction of E.W.Catalogue GD 856/ introduction of E.W.List Law for Public Statistics National Classification of Economic Activities - NACE

Other national regulations containing waste reporting obligations Regulations on specific waste flows: On packaging On batteries and accumulators On waste oils On PCB/PCT control and management On electric/electronic equipment waste All these acts stipulate penalties in case of refusal or delay of waste data reporting and in case of wrong /incomplete data transmission

Data sources and reporting obligations Who has to register and report waste data? Generators of industrial waste Companies managing municipal waste Waste recyclers Waste treatment facilities –Collection and transport authorized companies –Treatment facilities (mechanic – biological treatment) –Incinerators –Landfills, other disposal sites

Special conditions for data collection Hazardous waste are reported together with other waste, except medical waste Medical waste are reported separately by Ministry of Health and its units Military waste are reported to a separate database

How waste data are collected ? Waste data are collected annually Waste data collection are based on questionnaires Questionnaires have been gradually enlarged and improved to answer to all reporting requirements Types of questionnaires used in 2004: –AS-GD-PRODDES –AS-GD-MUN –AS-GD-TRAT

Questionnaire AS - GD - PRODDES For waste producers (from industry, agriculture, services, recycling companies) Comprises 4 chapters asking about: –Waste generated, recovered and disposed (waste types and quantities) –Thermal treatment of waste in producers own facilities –Landfilling of waste in producers own deposits –Spending and costs of waste management

Questionnaire AS - GD - MUN For municipalities or sanitation companies Comprises chapters asking about : –Collection, recycling and disposal of municipal waste –Characteristics of sanitation services –Endowment of sanitation companies Refers also to: –Municipal waste composition –Taxes for collection and disposal

Questionnaire AS - GD - TRAT For companies - owners of facilities for waste treatment It excludes entities that use their own facilities to treat their waste Comprises 3 chapters asking about : Composting plants Thermal treatment installations Landfills

Statistical community Comprises 2 groups: - Exhaustively investigated units - Selectively investigated units Criteria for including units into groups: - Relevance in terms of waste management ( as waste producers or waste managers) - Number of employees (from 1 to over 500)

Classification and terminology used Romanian statistical register of economic entities - REGIS Classification of economic activities – NACE European List of Waste Codes of recovery and disposal operations, as established by Waste Framework Directive

How the system works? Questionnaires are sent by local EPA-s to designated entities within each county Filled in questionnaires come back to EPA; data are introduced in counties databases All EPA-s send electronically their data to the National waste database ICIM/NEPA verifies/ validate received data ICIM/NEPA elaborates national reports Reports are sent to MoE and Statistical Institute and - at request - to international bodies

Information Flow Ind. waste Municipalities Recyclers Treatment generatorsoperators Local EPA ICIM/ NEPA MoE Statistical Institute Dissemination (JQ, BCS )

Roles and responsibilities of “main actors” MoE is responsible for waste management at county level and reports to European and international entities Local EPAs are responsible for questionnaires distribution to waste producers/operators, collection of filled in forms, first level data validation and centralising into the local waste databases National Institute for Statistics provides statistical procedures and information on waste producers/operators from REGIS

Roles and responsibilities of “other actors” Waste producers and operators that receive questionnaires are obliged to fill them in and send them back in due time Waste transporters report on transported waste (origin, quantity, destination ) to EPA-s /MoE by filling in special forms Waste handler/dealer keep records on waste managed (inputs, outputs, origin, destination) and report to local EPA at request Waste handlers = operators of waste management facilities ( composting plants, landfills, incinerators) Waste dealers = operators that are trading recyclable waste

Main recent results Total investigated units in year about 4000 units Identified tendencies of evolution in waste generation and management –reduction of production and municipal waste –reduction of landfills number Identified weaknesses - less weighing more volume estimation - incorrect codification (especially of hazardous waste) - variability in reported municipal waste composition

Objectives for future improvement Training for better identifying types and codes of waste and codes of recovery and disposal operations Unified values for extrapolation from volume to weight –Municipal waste density in compacting vehicle: 0.4 t/m 3 –Construction and demolition waste density: 1.5 t/m 3 Simplifying the questionnaires Better sampling for establishing the statistical community Friendly database program and statistical tools -