The Chisinau City Hall and the waste management agency Autosalubritate signed a contract with the Turkish engineering company Göl Çevre Teknolojileri Ltd to close the temporary landfill in Ciocana sector.

Deputy Mayor Ilie Ceban said the area is still “an environmental bomb”, where waste has been illegally discarded for years without the landfill being designed and properly equipped for the purpose.

Autosalubritate director Igor Gîrlea confirmed the landfill is and environmental hazard, therefore the goal was set for it to be recultivated and closed, respecting European standards. The landfill was used in 2010-2017, when it was not possible to use the one in Țânțareni. “It was a temporary solution, a really unprepared one, and now we have to find expensive solutions, but which are very important for the environment in order to eliminate any possible risk”, said Gîrlea.

For Moldova, this project is a first. According to the contract, the landfill will be reshaped to ensure the stability of the waste mass. A leachate collection system will also be installed, along with a biogas collection and combustion system. An access road will be built. Upon completion of the work, the new infrastructure will occupy an area of ​​5.9 hectares, located on the land administered by Autosalubrite. The total value of the work is 3.8 million euros and is part of the second phase of the Solid Waste Chisinau municipal project.