President Igor Dodon should not enact amendments to the Law on waste, which allow the burning of waste. After Environment and Regional Development Committee hearings, the chairwoman of the Committee recommended to return the bill to Parliament for further debates.
Anatolie Prohnițchi, chairman of the Green Ecological Party, said that waste incineration is in the interest of an oligarchic group. "According to statistics, in the Republic of Moldova, 5,000 people die every year due to diseases caused by environmental pollution", said Anatolie Prohnițchi.
Former Minister of Health, MP Ruxanda Glavan, said that the closure of incinerators is encouraged by the EU, which promotes alternative forms of waste recycling, such as waste sorting, that are harmless to the environment and to human health. The MP recommended to return the bill to parliament after all the risks are analyzed.
Civic activist Sergiu Ungureanu pointed out that the National Anti-corruption Center issued a negative review to the law, due to ambiguous framing. "The notions of incineration and co-incineration are poorly defined by the bill", said Sergiu Ungureanu.
Ina Coșeru, Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum representative, said that the organization she represents has offered support to waste co-incineration. "We buried an uncountable amount of waste and turned our country into a big dump", said Ina Coșeru.
Traian Manea, an independent waste management expert, said that the solution to incinerate non-recyclable waste cannot be challenged. "To date, the waste management hierarchy shows that the use of thermal-energy by burning is a much better solution than the burial of waste", claimed the expert.
On August 14, Parliament adopted amendments and additions to the Law on waste. The amendments provide that non-recyclable waste can be burned in the ovens of some enterprises that will be selected by a public institution. In order for the bill to be signed into law, it has to be promulgated by President Igor Dodon.
