On the current June 9, AO e-Circular Training and Consulting Center was the host of the 4th edition of Online Dialogue Platform "Waste Management in the Republic of Moldova", on the occasion of the publication of issue 33 of the quarterly magazine Waste Management.
During the event, some of the topics published on the pages of the magazine were discussed, with the aim of facilitating the process of informing participants from different regions of the country, from various fields of activity and occupational preferences, about good practices and recommendations regarding correct management of waste in the Republic of Moldova.
This new issue of the magazine highlights how important and effective the repair of non-functional electronics is as an alternative to purchasing new equipment, the circular economy and how it is linked to the Zero Waste principle, as well as legislative news at national and global level. The fact that in the Republic of Moldova a share of 11% of greenhouse gas emissions is recorded due to the waste sector, these data reconfirm the importance of the transition to circular models, focused on the correct application of the waste hierarchy and minimizing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.
The first topic addressed within the platform was about how plastic migrates into food. How does plastic packaging harm and how is this legally regulated? The impact that plastic has on nature has been known for a long time, but how does it directly affect our health? By the simple fact that the plastic-wrapped products we consume contain many chemicals. An important aspect mentioned by Aurelia Bahnaru, president AO e-Circular and noted in the presentation, it depends on how the situation of plastic packaging is legally regulated in the Republic of Moldova, and how it is connected to European regulations.
The second topic was about how the implementation of the project is progressing "We act eco through innovation" by People in Need Moldova, said Davide Spagnoli, project manager. He told about the need to create composting platforms, and how safe and effective they have proven to be for organic farming. In the context where waste management continues to represent a challenge for the Republic of Moldova, and a very large amount of organic waste ends up in landfills every day, contributing to the amount of methane emissions and global warming, composting is a recommended alternative for the management of this waste, especially in rural areas. Video link about the project – https://www.facebook.com/PIN.moldova/videos/276386137941028
The third speaker was Mr. Valentin Vieru, mayor of Mereni village. The mayor reported on how waste management takes place in the village of Mereni. Since proper waste management is one of the responsibilities of LPAs, this is not an easy challenge for institutions. The problem of waste in the countryside is very acute, but the local public authority of the village of Mereni has decided that it is time to act bolder and set in motion a mechanism for the selective collection of waste. The mayor spoke about the problems and solutions encountered throughout this process, and about the results obtained.
About the Right to Repair – the first step towards reducing WEEE, Roman Bahnaru told us, AO EcoDigital. Roman presented some statistical data from the recent study carried out with the support of the Gef SGP Small Grants Program, implemented by UNDP by EcoDigital - "Study on the generation of WEEE in the Republic of Moldova" (2022), the concept of the Right to Repair equipment, as well as good practices implemented by other states, as well as proposed solutions that can be implemented by APC and APL at the national level to reduce the amount of WEEE generated by applying the Right to Repair.
Cristina Tocari, founder of the ecological startup for the recycling of plastic waste - RECYCLINE talked about how the company collects plastic waste and what is the process of treating it. RECYCLINE is currently in the process of preparing the first jewelry collection made from plastic waste. Recucline is a recently launched startup, and is a company that receives and collects type 2 and type 5 plastic waste, which will later be transformed into useful products.
At the end, Dorina Veleșcu, AO e-Circular, presented the theme ZERO WASTE – Fundamental solution for the climate crisis! Dorina reported on the Zero Waste principle, what cities, which are the biggest centers of GHG emissions, could do and how they could reduce emissions by almost 90% by 2050. One important thing Dorina mentioned is how Zero Waste it is related to the Circular Economy. Globally, according to the "2020 Circularity Gap Report", we are only 8.6% circular. As it turns out, zero waste offers an answer for transforming the circular economy from notion to practical solutions.
Many other interesting and current topics in the field of waste management can be found in the latest issue of the magazine.
