Workshop on waste data collection system for EIONET reprezentatives

from West Balcans

4 May 2006 - Zagreb, Croatia

WASTE STATISTICS IN ROMANIA

Author: Luminita Stefanescu

Waste Department

ICIM Bucharest

Main reasons for waste statistics

• Identify types/quantities of generated waste, recycling possibilities and final disposal practices

• Evaluate and monitor evolution of generated waste and changes in recycling /reuse processes

• Easy decision making in environmental protection (strategy & plan for waste management)

• Disseminate information on waste management• Assure comparability of waste data reported to

European and international authorities

European legislation supporting the waste statistics

TECHNICAL ACTS• Waste Framework Directive 75/442/EEC• Council Decision 91/689/EEC on Hazardous

Waste • The European waste catalogue and hazardous

waste list - valid from 01.01.2002 and based on:- Commision Decision 2000/532/EC as amended by:

- Commision Decision 2000/118/EC - Commision Decision 2000/119/EC

European legislation supporting the waste statistics

STATISTICAL ACTS

• Regulation (EC) no. 2150/2004 on Waste Statistics

• Common Questionnaire Eurostat/OECD/EEA on the state of environment - section Waste

National legislation supporting the Romanian waste statistics

• Environmental Protection Law• Law of Waste• Governmental Decision on waste reporting and

adoption of European Waste Codification

GD 155/1999 - introduction of E.W.Catalogue

GD 856/2002 - introduction of E.W.List• Law for Public Statistics• National Classification of Economic Activities -

NACE

Other national regulations containing waste reporting obligations

• Regulations on specific waste flows:• On packaging • On batteries and accumulators• On waste oils• On PCB/PCT control and management• On electric/electronic equipment waste

• All these acts stipulate penalties in case of refusal or delay of waste data reporting and in case of wrong /incomplete data transmission

Data sources and reporting obligations

Who has to register and report waste data?• Generators of industrial waste• Companies managing municipal waste• Waste recyclers• Waste treatment facilities

– Collection and transport authorized companies – Treatment facilities (mechanic – biological

treatment)– Incinerators– Landfills, other disposal sites

Special conditions for data collection

• Hazardous waste are reported together with other waste, except medical waste

• Medical waste are reported separately by Ministry of Health and its units

• Military waste are reported to a separate database

How waste data are collected ?

• Waste data are collected annually • Waste data collection are based on

questionnaires • Questionnaires have been gradually

enlarged and improved to answer to all reporting requirements

• Types of questionnaires used in 2004: – AS-GD-PRODDES– AS-GD-MUN – AS-GD-TRAT

Questionnaire AS - GD - PRODDES

• For waste producers (from industry, agriculture, services, recycling companies)

• Comprises 4 chapters asking about:– Waste generated, recovered and disposed (waste types

and quantities)– Thermal treatment of waste in producers own facilities – Landfilling of waste in producers own deposits– Spending and costs of waste management

Questionnaire AS - GD - MUN

• For municipalities or sanitation companies• Comprises chapters asking about :

– Collection, recycling and disposal of municipal waste– Characteristics of sanitation services – Endowment of sanitation companies

• Refers also to:– Municipal waste composition– Taxes for collection and disposal

Questionnaire AS - GD - TRAT

• For companies - owners of facilities for waste treatment

• It excludes entities that use their own facilities to treat their waste

• Comprises 3 chapters asking about:• Composting plants• Thermal treatment installations • Landfills

Statistical community

• Comprises 2 groups:- Exhaustively investigated units

- Selectively investigated units

• Criteria for including units into groups:

- Relevance in terms of waste management

(as waste producers or waste managers)

- Number of employees (from 1 to over 500)

Classification and terminology used

• Romanian statistical register of economic entities - REGIS

• Classification of economic activities – NACE

• European List of Waste• Codes of recovery and disposal operations, as

established by Waste Framework Directive

How the system works?

• Questionnaires are sent by local EPA-s to designated entities within each county

• Filled in questionnaires come back to EPA; data are introduced in counties databases

• All EPA-s send electronically their data to the National waste database

• ICIM/NEPA verifies/ validate received data• ICIM/NEPA elaborates national reports• Reports are sent to MoE and Statistical Institute

and - at request - to international bodies

Information Flow

Ind. waste Municipalities Recyclers Treatment

generatorsoperators

Local EPA

ICIM/ NEPA

MoE Statistical Institute

Dissemination (JQ, BCS)

Roles and responsibilities of “main actors”

• MoE is responsible for waste management at county level and reports to European and international entities

• Local EPAs are responsible for questionnaires distribution to waste producers/operators, collection of filled in

forms, first level data validation and centralising into the local waste databases

• National Institute for Statistics provides statistical procedures and information on waste producers/operators from REGIS

Roles and responsibilities of “other actors”

• Waste producers and operators that receive questionnaires are obliged to fill them in and send them back in due time

• Waste transporters report on transported waste

(origin, quantity, destination) to EPA-s /MoE by filling in special forms

• Waste handler/dealer keep records on waste managed (inputs, outputs, origin, destination) and report to local EPA at request

Waste handlers = operators of waste management facilities ( composting plants, landfills, incinerators)

Waste dealers = operators that are trading recyclable waste

Main recent results

• Total investigated units in year 2003

- about 4000 units

• Identified tendencies of evolution in waste generation and management– reduction of production and municipal waste– reduction of landfills number

• Identified weaknesses- less weighing more volume estimation

- incorrect codification (especially of hazardous waste)

- variability in reported municipal waste composition

Objectives for future improvement

• Training for better identifying types and codes of waste and codes of recovery and disposal operations

• Unified values for extrapolation from volume to weight– Municipal waste density in compacting vehicle: 0.4 t/m3

– Construction and demolition waste density: 1.5 t/m3

• Simplifying the questionnaires • Better sampling for establishing the statistical community • Friendly database program and statistical tools

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