The National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum and other Moldovan NGOs ask Parliament to put off the adoption of amendments to the law on waste, concerning the incineration of used tires, until full monitoring is set over car exhaust emissions, as the law on atmospheric air provides, IPN reports.

“The monitoring should be conducted with automated gas analyzers that can transmit online the analysis results to the Environmental Agency, this being a mandatory condition for the safety of such a technological process like the incineration of used tires. Such monitoring should include the receiving of online information about the quality of emissions by state institutions and the possibility of ensuring online access to the same data for the general public,” the NGOs noted in a statement. “In the absence of an efficient monitoring system, we consider any arguments concerning the absence of a negative impact of emissions on health are null and amoral.”

The signatories also warn about the risks of corruption. “The ensuring of full detoxification of exhaust gases is extremely costly, while environmental assessments show the third world countries or countries in transition, in order to save money, resort to periodic stopping of filers or use these after their life expires,” said the NGOs.

Among the 34 signatories are the National Council of Environmental NGOs, Soros Foundation Moldova, “Eco-Tiras” International Environmental Association of River Keepers, the Ecological Movement of Moldova and the Association for Waste Recovery.

The Green Ecologist Party during a rally outside the Government building on February 14 pleaded against the Ministry of Environment’s intention to authorize incineration of tires and waste and against the permission to import scrap metal for the Rîbnița Steel Works. In reaction to the rally, the Ministry of Environment issued a statement to note that developed countries use waste incineration as an alternative solution to generate energy. It said that scientific studies show that the storage of any type of waste, including tires, is the most harmful solution for human health and the environment, much worse than incineration or co-incineration. Waste incineration means transforming it into energy, amounting to a sustainable and intelligent solution.