Waste management is Kosovo has been faced five majors challenges:

1.       Disregard for existing legislation,

2.       Lack and inadequate control of creation and transport of urban waste,

3.       Disinterest for reduction of the capacity of urban waste and reduction of its dangerousness,

4.       Inadequate and uncontrolled disposal of waste in the past and now,

5.       The lack of recycling or processing of waste,

Most landfills built before the 1999 conflict were built and managed well below accepted standards.

About, 35% of the population lives in urban areas and are services by municipal waste companies. Donors such as the EAR (European Agency for Reconstruction), have supported and financed programs for rehabilitation and closure of old municipal landfills (or dumpsites) and the reconstruction of new ones.  The new landfills are constructed in accordance with European Union standards, (geological, hydrological, topographical studies were undertaken), and there still remain problems associated with the lack of maintenance and especially on treating the leachate from the landfills.

 The general urban waste in kg per person in daily/monthly report in Kosovo, for year 2002 (based on data from waste companies enterprises).

                                                Amount of rubbish (month)       4.000.000 kg/month

Kg rubbish per 1 person / month = ------------------------------- = ------------------------- =                  

                                                 No. of inhabitants             500.000 inhabitants

       40                                                                                                           8 kg/inhabitants                          

= --------- = 8 kg/month inhabitants, whereas kg rubbish per 1 person/day -------------------=

        5                                                                                                                  30 days

= 2.27 kg/day inhabitants.

References:

Kosovo Trust Agency – Baton Begolli

Efforts are being made to dispose or at the very least to lower the risk of these harmful substances. The situation is far from satisfactory, however some steps have been undertaken to secure some of those waste: 

Some of the major actions are:

ü      Repackaging and secure storing of 1800m³ of Ni-Cd wastes , in the battery factory in Gnjilane

ü      Repackaging and secure storing  of three barrels with matter radiation ( Americium , Nitrate Thorium -Strontium ) which has been buried  on the industrial waste storage in the Tuneli I Parë in  Mitrovica 

ü      Repackaging and secure storing  of dilute wastes and generated from Pesticides and Herbicides prepared in Podujevo .

ü      Building of a protective enclosure around sulfuric acid tanks in Trepca Mitrovica

ü      Closing of the cianur natron storage with concrete wall in the village named Tuneli I pare Trepca .

ü      Repackaging and secure storing of 1-1 Dimitil Hidrazin from the old and corroded barrels in the metal tanks in Trepca , Mitrovica.