Tourism inflates waste bill/ Saranda and Himara face the highest costs

2026-07-24 19:15:39, Aktualitet CNA

As the country has entered a new phase of waste management following the adoption of two new laws that align the national framework with European Union standards, their implementation is facing financial pressure in areas with high tourist influx.

According to the State of the Environment 2025 Report of the National Environment Agency (NEA), coastal municipalities are facing higher per capita service costs due to the significant increase in waste generation during the summer season.

The report highlights that during 2025, Law No. 57/2025 “On Integrated Waste Management” and Law No. 74/2025 “On Extended Producer Responsibilities” were adopted, which, according to the NEA, “transpose the EU regulatory framework and integrate the principles of the circular economy at the national level”.

But implementation at the local level shows large differences between municipalities. Monitoring conducted in 15 pilot municipalities shows that tourist areas are facing a higher operational burden.

"Municipalities with an intensive tourist character, such as Saranda and Himara, record the highest service costs per capita, due to high waste generation during the peak summer season," the KTA report states.

On the other hand, some municipalities have shown improvement in waste separation at source. According to the report, Belshi has increased the level of waste separation from 8% to 34.4%, marking one of the most visible results in the monitoring of pilot municipalities.

Meanwhile, waste trade indicators have marked a strong change during 2025. The total amount of exported waste fell to 21,275 tons, from 60,521 tons in 2024, according to data reported by the NEA.

The report notes that the new reform aims to shift waste management from the traditional model of collection and disposal towards a system based on recycling, extended producer responsibility and the circular economy.

But at the local level, data shows that tourist municipalities remain faced with the challenge of financing the service, as the seasonal increase in the temporary population brings a higher volume of waste and additional operating costs./Monitor