CITY OF RÂMNICU VÂLCEA, ROMANIA
Municipal Profile
Population: 124,500
Budget: US$19 million
Land Area: 90 square kilometers
Economic Activities: agriculture, mining, manufacturing, construction, tourism
Environmental Expertise: waste management
Issue Addressed
Solid Waste Management
Key Management Concept
Improving an outdated municipal waste collection system requires technical expertise and support, proper equipment, and perhaps most importantly, a comprehensive education program and information resources for all stakeholders.
Program Name
Integrated Urban Waste Management Program
Program Goals
The goals of this program are to improve the city's appearance and protect citizens' health and the environment by properly disposing of municipal waste.
Program Abstract
In recent years, the City of Râmnicu Vâlcea has taken several steps to improve its municipal waste management system. Prior to 1997, the city collected waste using a fleet of old vehicles and disposed of waste at the Râureni Landfill, located less than 300 meters away from the Olt River. Since the landfill was not built according to environmental standards it needed to be closed, the site was remediated and a new landfill built in accordance with European Union standards.
Since 1997, through a technical cooperation agreement between the Romanian and German governments, the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) has offered consulting and material support to Râmnicu Vâlcea for the implementation of several waste management measures.
The first step of the project was to improve Râmnicu Vâlcea's waste collection and transportation system. The German government donated 5,000 waste bins and three compacting trucks to the city. The city held meetings with apartment building owners' associations to explain the how the bins were to be used, where they would be located, and the importance of using and cleaning the bins. Through this initiative the number of private houses benefiting from sanitation services rose to 5,090 in 2003, compared with 4,154 households in 1996.
In order to make appropriate future decisions about Râmnicu Vâlcea's Integrated Waste Management Strategy, a waste composition study was undertaken in 2000-2001. Supported by German consultants and students from the Ecological University of Bucharest, the study found that over 55% of Râmnicu Vâlcea's domestic waste was organic matter. As a result, since November 2001 organic waste has been collected separately from general waste and sent to a pilot organic waste composting plant located at the Râureni Landfill. GTZ provided seven-liter collection bins to each of the 4,000 households in the pilot program area as well as composting plant equipment. To date more than 500 tonnes of compost have been produced from the collected organic waste and there are plans to expand the program to the rest of the city. In 2002, the city achieved a 2% decrease in the amount of domestic waste sent to landfill compared to 1997 through composting and an additional 5% reduction due to its recycling efforts.
In 1999, Râmnicu Vâlcea opened Romania's first Waste Management Information Center. The aim of the center is to raise citizens' awareness of waste management and educate and train sanitation companies and public officials. The center offers information on such topics as planning for and implementing waste collection programs, integrated waste management, and selection criteria for new landfills. Since its opening the center has improved communication between citizens, the city, other local governments, and sanitation service providers at the local and national levels.
A Manual on Waste Management Activities in Residential Areas has also been developed as part of the Romanian and German governments' agreement. In the next two years this manual will be used as a basis for training all interested public and private sector representatives on integrated waste management principles and the implementation of such programs throughout Romania.
Financing
The project budget was US$1.4 million, which included consulting services, integrated waste management equipment (5,000 240-liter bins, three trucks, a bulldozer, shredder, sieve, and 4,000 small bins), furniture and office equipment for the Waste Management Information Center, the development of feasibility studies for new waste management facilities and services, and the publication of educational materials. Râmnicu Vâlcea paid 10% of the costs while 90% of the project was financially supported by GTZ.
Staff
The City of Râmnicu Vâlcea benefited from the technical assistance of consultants from the German company PPI (Project Partners International) and the City of Goettingen's Sanitation Department. Ten students from the Ecological University of Bucharest worked on the city's waste composition study.
Lessons Learned
Professional experience and coordination is extremely important in an integrated waste management project. Key stakeholders (including citizens, sanitation service providers, environmental protection staff, public health inspectors, non-governmental organizations, schools, commercial companies, etc.) need to be involved in the decision-making process.
Key Publications
Râmnicu Vâlcea City Hall. 2002.
Local Strategy of Sustainable Development of Râmnicu Vâlcea.
Contact
Elena Diana Dumitru, Râmnicu Vâlcea Town Hall
14 General Praporgescu Street
1000 Râmnicu Vâlcea
Romania
Tel: +40-50/737-020
Fax: + 40-50/731-843
Email: dianad@primariavl.ro
Website
www.primariavl.ro/en/
Population: 124,500
Budget: US$19 million
Land Area: 90 square kilometers
Economic Activities: agriculture, mining, manufacturing, construction, tourism
Environmental Expertise: waste management
Issue Addressed
Solid Waste Management
Key Management Concept
Improving an outdated municipal waste collection system requires technical expertise and support, proper equipment, and perhaps most importantly, a comprehensive education program and information resources for all stakeholders.
Program Name
Integrated Urban Waste Management Program
Program Goals
The goals of this program are to improve the city's appearance and protect citizens' health and the environment by properly disposing of municipal waste.
Program Abstract
In recent years, the City of Râmnicu Vâlcea has taken several steps to improve its municipal waste management system. Prior to 1997, the city collected waste using a fleet of old vehicles and disposed of waste at the Râureni Landfill, located less than 300 meters away from the Olt River. Since the landfill was not built according to environmental standards it needed to be closed, the site was remediated and a new landfill built in accordance with European Union standards.
Since 1997, through a technical cooperation agreement between the Romanian and German governments, the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) has offered consulting and material support to Râmnicu Vâlcea for the implementation of several waste management measures.
The first step of the project was to improve Râmnicu Vâlcea's waste collection and transportation system. The German government donated 5,000 waste bins and three compacting trucks to the city. The city held meetings with apartment building owners' associations to explain the how the bins were to be used, where they would be located, and the importance of using and cleaning the bins. Through this initiative the number of private houses benefiting from sanitation services rose to 5,090 in 2003, compared with 4,154 households in 1996.
In order to make appropriate future decisions about Râmnicu Vâlcea's Integrated Waste Management Strategy, a waste composition study was undertaken in 2000-2001. Supported by German consultants and students from the Ecological University of Bucharest, the study found that over 55% of Râmnicu Vâlcea's domestic waste was organic matter. As a result, since November 2001 organic waste has been collected separately from general waste and sent to a pilot organic waste composting plant located at the Râureni Landfill. GTZ provided seven-liter collection bins to each of the 4,000 households in the pilot program area as well as composting plant equipment. To date more than 500 tonnes of compost have been produced from the collected organic waste and there are plans to expand the program to the rest of the city. In 2002, the city achieved a 2% decrease in the amount of domestic waste sent to landfill compared to 1997 through composting and an additional 5% reduction due to its recycling efforts.
In 1999, Râmnicu Vâlcea opened Romania's first Waste Management Information Center. The aim of the center is to raise citizens' awareness of waste management and educate and train sanitation companies and public officials. The center offers information on such topics as planning for and implementing waste collection programs, integrated waste management, and selection criteria for new landfills. Since its opening the center has improved communication between citizens, the city, other local governments, and sanitation service providers at the local and national levels.
A Manual on Waste Management Activities in Residential Areas has also been developed as part of the Romanian and German governments' agreement. In the next two years this manual will be used as a basis for training all interested public and private sector representatives on integrated waste management principles and the implementation of such programs throughout Romania.
Financing
The project budget was US$1.4 million, which included consulting services, integrated waste management equipment (5,000 240-liter bins, three trucks, a bulldozer, shredder, sieve, and 4,000 small bins), furniture and office equipment for the Waste Management Information Center, the development of feasibility studies for new waste management facilities and services, and the publication of educational materials. Râmnicu Vâlcea paid 10% of the costs while 90% of the project was financially supported by GTZ.
Staff
The City of Râmnicu Vâlcea benefited from the technical assistance of consultants from the German company PPI (Project Partners International) and the City of Goettingen's Sanitation Department. Ten students from the Ecological University of Bucharest worked on the city's waste composition study.
Lessons Learned
Professional experience and coordination is extremely important in an integrated waste management project. Key stakeholders (including citizens, sanitation service providers, environmental protection staff, public health inspectors, non-governmental organizations, schools, commercial companies, etc.) need to be involved in the decision-making process.
Key Publications
Râmnicu Vâlcea City Hall. 2002.
Local Strategy of Sustainable Development of Râmnicu Vâlcea.
Contact
Elena Diana Dumitru, Râmnicu Vâlcea Town Hall
14 General Praporgescu Street
1000 Râmnicu Vâlcea
Romania
Tel: +40-50/737-020
Fax: + 40-50/731-843
Email: dianad@primariavl.ro
Website
www.primariavl.ro/en/
