Ekonomia, Public-Private Partnerships in Solid Waste Management, March 15, 2012
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, in cooperation with the Swiss Cooperation Office in Albania organized the first public-private roundtable on sustainable and integrated solid waste management in Tirana, on 13 March in order to help engage the private sector companies in Albania's solid waste management. "It is a great opportunity to discuss Public-Private Partnership solutions for integrated solid waste management in Albania." said Isabel Perich, Country Director of Swiss Cooperation Office in Albania. "We are glad to partner with IFC on this initiative and also present a concrete experience of solid waste management in Shkodra and Lezha municipalities, supported by Switzerland. We are also pleased to share a Swiss- German experience of Public- Private Partnership on co-pro cessing waste material in cement production, which we hope that it could be feasibly applicable in the Albanian reality. “Sustainable and integrated solid waste management refers to the economically profitable, environmentally and socially responsible solid waste management, which includes recycling, reusing, co-processing, incineration, pre-treatment and landfilling of solid waste. Sustainable and integrated solid waste management eliminates uncontrolled burning or dumping of waste. Taulant Bino, Deputy Minister of Environment, Forestry and Water Management said that the starting point in funding the costs of waste management is the polluters pay principle, which means that the waste producers should pay the full cost of managing their waste as much as possible. "However, considering the very high cost of such a process, the householders cannot be expected to immediately finance the needed capital expenditure. In this context Public- Private Partnership initiatives are a must. The new legal framework on integrated waste management and the one on concessions create new opportunities for Public-Private Partnership in the sector of solid waste management. Local Government Authorities supported by Central Authorities should engage in those new opportunities in order to fulfill the European standards in waste management and to improve the quality of life of our citizens." The roundtable provided an innovative setting for representatives of the local and central government, parliamentarians, private sector, NGOs, IFC and Swiss experts in relevant areas, international financing institutions and donor organizations to discuss issues regarding private sector participation in sustainable and integrated solid waste management projects in Albania's municipalities, as well as international best practice in this field. "IFC is supporting the authorities in Albania to introduce private sector participation in development of municipal and national infrastructure in the country," said Elira Sakiqi, Country Representative of IFC Offlce in Albania. "We hope that this roundtable inspired Albanian offlcials to further investigate opportunities for Private Sector Participation in solid waste management." Albania became a member of IFC in 1991. IFC's investment portfolio in Albania stands at $178 million. IFC Advisory Services aims to improve the investment climate, introduce international standards, strengthen corporate governance, and to attract private sector participation in development of infrastructure projects. About IFC: IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. We help developing countries achieve sustainable growth by financing investment, providing advisory services to businesses and governments, and mobilizing capital in the international financial markets. In fiscal 2011, amid economic uncertainty across the globe, we helped our clients create jobs, strengthen environmental performance, and contribute to their local communities-11 while driving our investments to an all-time high of nearly $19 billion - About Swiss Cooperation Office in Albania: Through bilateral cooperation and multilateral programs, Switzerland has contributed to Albania with more than 150 million Euro so far in form of non- reimbursable grants only. The Swiss Cooperation brings to Albania Switzerland's comparative advantage and specific know-how in areas such as decentralization, vocational educational training and youth employment, risk insurance, energy, water and business environment th reform. The Swiss Cooperation Office in Albania celebrated the 15 anniversary of its continuous development work in the country. Swiss development bodies SDC and SECO have both decided to continue their development support for Albania beyond 2013.