Target Groups
Community – Public Authorities – Entities
Pillars
Detection – Monitoring
Collection – Valorisation
Prevention – Zero Waste
Type of Litter
Riverine Litter – Microplastics
Goals Achieved Towards a Plastic-Free Future
River and shore plastic waste collection
Partners involved: Environmental and Territorial Management Institute, Tirana & Durres Municipality, River Cleaning
Tirana Municipality is home to the central authorities of Albania. In recent years Tirana Municipality has undertaken several measures to reduce the pressure of housing and waste generation on the Lana River’s shores in the heart of the city.
Together with the greening of spaces, Tirana Municipality is promoting awareness among its citizens to foster circularity and improve the quality of life.
According to the IUCN15, Albania leaks almost 8,6 tonnes of plastic waste into the Mediterranean Sea every year. The Lana River passes by Tirana city and flows into the Ishem River, which is one of the main contributors of plastic pollution in the Adriatic Sea, with approximately 700 tonnes of waste per year. According to the IUCN study, there is a total of 1123 ton per year leaked in the Mediterranean Sea from Tirana.
The government has approved the National Waste Management Strategy 2021-2030. According to the strategy the country needs to reduce plastic waste by 70%. Furthermore, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism plans to set strict rules for the prevention of plastic waste.
After the intervention of the proposed solutions and follow-up projects the amount of waste can be reduced to around 15%. Through massive outreach and connection to many more plastic entrepreneurs and NGOs, we can estimate that zero-waste interactions and their replications might reduce the current 8 kilotonnes plastic waste leaks of Albania per year to less than 1 kiloton within 5 years after the project.
Inputs
Replication for biodegradable fishing gear
River cleaning system installation at Lana River
Connection to zero-waste supply chains
Mapping of sensitive areas that are exposed to plastic waste
Big collection and valorisation campaigns
Development of handbooks and guidelines to be delivered to local actors
Outputs
- Collect 15 tonnes of plastic waste per year
- Engagement of >50 people in manual collection activities
- Collect 100 tonnes of waste per year through the Lana River Cleaning barrier
- Zero-waste articles in 3 early-adopter stores to prevent another 5 tonnes of plastics per year
Location
Tirana & Durrës municipality
Basic data
29 km length, 250.000 tourists every year
