An assessment of the Romanian solid waste management system based on sustainable development indicators

Abstract

This study focuses on the sustainability aspects of the Romanian solid waste management systems, from 2004 till 2013 and its evolution compared to the European Union context in the same period. The evaluation based on a 4 tiers classification of indicators: general socio-economic, solid waste generation, solid waste management profile and sustainability profile (self-sufficiency and carbon footprint indicators) links the demand and consumption with waste generation and treatment and finally with the resulting environmental impact. The Romanian socio-economic profile denotes a fragile economy with the resource productivity indicator being 5.72–8.61 times smaller than the annual EU averages. The municipal and industrial solid waste (MSW) generation rates in Romania are approximately 30%–40% smaller than the corresponding European averages, most of the waste coming from mining and quarrying and agricultural activities. 80% of the MSW generated is treated, by comparison to 97% in EU, while 96% of the Romanian MSW is being currently disposed in contrast with just 30% in EU. The MSW self-sufficiency indicator has doubled over the decade, but is still just 2%, while the reference value is 100%. The first calculation of Romanian MSW system carbon footprint indicates results between −1.2 to 0.3 t CO2e/t MSW.