The spring cleanup campaign starts in Moldova next week. There will be cleaned all the streets, green areas and yards. Minister of the Environment Gheorghe Salaru called on the people to avoid burning waste as this leads to environment pollution. In a news conference on March 18, the minister said the persons who will break these rules will be liable to heavy fines, Info-Prim Neo reports. Gheorghe Salaru said the people do not realize that they seriously pollute the atmosphere, earth and water when they burn the garbage. “The country in this period looks like a highly industrialized one as clouds of smoke billow everywhere,” he stated. According to the minister, plastic objects and tires can be burned together with leafage and branches. They emit noxious, even cancerous substances that accumulate in the lower stratum of the atmosphere. These substances affect mainly the children, elderly people, the persons suffering from respiratory diseases, the fowl and domestic animals. The people are asked to collect the waste separately and bury the vegetal waste and leafage. Gheorghe Salaru said they will propose amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses so as to increase the fines, but they count more on the people's attitude and responsibility. The fine for illegally burning waste varies between 400 and 800 lei for private entities and between 4,000 and 6,000 lei for legal entities. The Ministry of the Environment said fines to the value of 200,000 lei were imposed last year. There was paid only about 100,000 lei of them.