Waste Situation

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Waste in the Region of Tirana

Tirana county is the county that generates about 30% of waste nationwide and has about 1/3 of the population according to the latest data from the Census 2011. In Tirana, as in most of the country, waste in urban areas is collected and transported by companies private companies specializing in this field.


Rural areas until 2015 are not covered by waste management services. The population found individual solutions such as burning in open places or dumping in illegal landfills causing great pollution with serious consequences for the health of the inhabitants and animals of the area.


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The former condition of the existing Sharra landfill:

  • Waste volumes have exceeded the capacity for which the existing landfill of municipal waste of the Municipality of Tirana was designed.
  • In many cases, industrial waste is disposed of in the same place as urban waste bringing negative effects on the environment.
  • Transport of light fragments and dust due to the wind, is the main cause of bad smells which are the result of fermentation and decomposition of organic waste.
  • The existing landfill did not have adequate waste coverage techniques. There was also a lack of a functional system for capturing biogas and burning it, leading to the release of gas directly into the atmosphere and the possibility of explosions and fires.


Sharra Landfill Before the Rehabilitation

Sharra landfill is located southwest of Tirana. Distance from the city center is about 6 km. Prior to the 1990s, the landfill was mainly used for industrial waste disposal and was operated by the Waste Management Company, part of the government institutions. However, the operation of the landfill was carried out in an uncontrolled manner and spontaneous illegal waste burning occurred until September 2008 when the old landfill was closed, allowing the expansion of the new landfill.The existing landfill was not isolated and there were no protective measures to prevent the penetration of groundwater, thus leaving the passage of heavy metals and other pollutants.