Waste Policies Country Fact Sheet Montenegro

Waste Policies country fact sheet Montenegro

1. General facts

Country: Montenegro

Surface area (Km2)

13812

Population (thousand inhabitants)

632922

Population density (inhabitants/square km)

45.1

Average number of persons per private household

GDP per capita in Purchasing Power Standards (PPS) EU25=100

GDP per capita (constant prices)

7130 EUR base year: 2010

Household characteristics by urbanisation degree, distribution of households %

Urban population: 61% of total population (2010) Rate of urbanization: 0.1% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Gross value added (GVA) – At current basic prices and current exchange rates (% of all branches)

$3,435,047,000.00

2. National waste legislation

2.1 Overview of waste legislation

Basic framework legislation

• The Law on Waste Management (Official Gazette of Montenegro 80/05 and 73/08) established the basic legal framework for waste management activities.

• The waste management policy and strategy is regulated by the following documents:

Ø National Waste Management Policy (2004);

Ø Republic Level Strategic Master Plan for Waste Management (2005);

Ø National Strategy of Medical Waste Management (2008).

The Law stipulates competences and responsibilities of entities regarding waste management. Local self-governments are responsible for management of the municipal waste, while the management of hazardous and other specific types of waste is regulated by the Government.

On the level of the state administration, following the Decree on Public Administration Organization and Manner of Work, the authority competent for environmental protection (Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism)is also responsible for waste management. According to Article 19 of the Law on Waste Management (Official Gazette of Montenegro 80/05 and 73/08), this ministry performs the following tasks:

· proposes a waste management plan to the Government;

· monitors the status of management of all types of waste;

· adopts the regulations to implement the Law;

· performs other tasks stipulated by the Law.

Management of hazardous and special types of waste is also regulated at the national level.

In accordance with the Law, the conditions, manner and procedure of medical waste treatment are stipulated by the authority of state administration competent for health issues in cooperation with the authority of state administration competent for environmental protection, whereas the conditions, manner and procedure for veterinary waste management are stipulated by the authority of state administration competent for agriculture, also in cooperation with the authority of state administration competent for environmental protection.

The Environmental Protection Agency, in conformity with the Decree on Public Administration Organization and Manner of Work, performs professional and other related tasks which, among others, includes the following: monitoring of collection of waste from ships; waste management; issuance of integrated permits for plants that are required to have integrated permit as specified by special regulation; strategic impact assessments and environmental impact assessments; issuance of permits for trans-boundary movements of waste; issuance of permits for the facilities for collection of waste in ports and inspection in the area of environmental protection. In accordance with Article 19a of the Law on Waste Management, the Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for the:

· issuance of permits and other documents in line with the Law on Waste Management;

· keeping a register of data relating to waste generation and treatment on the basis of data included in annual reports on waste and issued permits;

· keeping evidence on special types of waste placed on the market;

· issuance of approvals for waste management plans submitted by waste producers;

· implementation of inspection supervision relating to the Law on Waste Management;

· other tasks stipulated by the Law on Waste Management.

At the level of local self-government, the tasks of local self-governments are stipulated by Articles 31 and 32 of the Law on Local Self-government (Official Gazette of Montenegro 42/03, 28/04, 75/05 and 13/06) relating the obligation of local self-governments to adopt development plans and programmes, and also to create the conditions to organise and ensure the conditions for the performance and development of communal services. Accordingly local self-governments are responsible for the organisation of activities relating to the management of municipal waste and other types of non-hazardous waste (collection, disposal, recycling, establishment of the conditions for selective collection of waste, recovery of bio-waste, public awareness raising etc.).

In accordance with Article 20 of the Law on Waste Management, the competent local self-government body is responsible for:

· adopting local waste management plans subject to prior approval by the competent state administration body, create the conditions for and ensuring its implementation;

· creating the conditions for waste management in accordance with the Law;

· issuing permits and approvals in accordance with the Law;

· issuing opinions relating to approvals and permits in accordance with the Law;

· developing regulations for implementation of this Law;

· performing other tasks specified by the Law on Waste Management.

Two or more local self-governments may jointly establish the conditions for waste management under the conditions and in the manner specified by the Law and via a mutual agreement signed by their respective parliaments. This agreement regulates the mutual rights and obligations of local governments relating to the establishment of conditions for the performance of waste management activities, as well as other issues relevant for waste management organization and implementation.

2.2 National Acts/Laws on Waste Management

2.2.1 Framework legislation

2.2.2 National legislation with relevance for a number of waste streams

2.2.3 National legislation on specific waste streams (selected)

2.3 Regional Waste Acts

3. Waste management plan

Overview

3.1 National Waste Management Plan

The National Waste Management Plan, titled as Montenegro Waste Management Plan for the period 2008-2012 has been developed for a period of five years. This Plan was prepared by the beginning of 2008 and published in the Official Gazette of Montenegro 16/08 dated 7 March 2008.

The National Waste Management Plan is a basic document, which establishes mid-term objectives and ensures the conditions for rational and sustainable waste management in Montenegro. In addition to the Law on Waste Management, the National Waste Management Policy and Republic Level Strategic Master Plan for waste management constitute the framework for the preparation of this plan.

The Waste Management Plan contains:

· an assessment of the situation in the area of waste management;

· waste management objectives;

· long-term and short-term measures in the area of waste management during the planning period including an implementation schedule;

· approximate financial means to implement the plan;

· manner or implementation and the institutions responsible for implementation;

· raising of public awareness regarding waste management.

The general objective of the National Waste Management Plan is to minimize the adverse impact of waste on human health and the environment, improve the efficiency of utilization of resources and mitigate the adverse effect of waste management in the previous period. When this objective is achieved, waste management activities will be organized in line with European standards and directives.

According to the National Waste Management Plan, the basic task to be carried out in the period of 2008 – 2012 includes implementation of main strategic activities in the area of waste management in the territory of Montenegro, as follows:

· establishment of an integrated waste management system based on: increased quantities of collected waste, minimization of quantities of disposed waste and introduction of recycling,

· remediation and closure of the existing dumpsites,

· remediation of "black points", i.e. locations with large quantities of disposed waste,

· development and establishment of inter-municipal (regional) sanitary landfills including treatment of waste before its final disposal.

The National Waste Management Plan starts from the fundamental principles in waste management, that are based on the principles of sustainable development and relate to the proximity; precaution or prevention; the "polluter pays" principle and the principle of respecting hierarchy.

3.2 Regional waste management plans

There are no regional waste management plans in Montenegro.

4. Waste prevention

4.1 Objectives

The Waste Management Law creates the preconditions which will contribute to the following: prevention of waste generation and the gradual reduction of adverse effects of waste to a minimum; reduction of quantities of generated waste; waste neutilization, recycling and recovering; making use of waste value through the composting and production of energy generation; sustainable development through rational utilization of natural resources; establishment of an integrated and effective system of waste management in a way which is safe for human health and the environment; establishment of a system of regional waste management; environmentally sound disposal or incineration of waste, remediation of unregulated landfills, etc.

The National Waste Management Policy identified the objectives in the area of waste management (integral and sustainable reduction, control and management of waste with the aim to protect, sustain and improve the quality of life in Montenegro and contribute to the national economic development in accordance with the Declaration on Ecological State of Montenegro) and activities which need to be performed in order to accomplish those objectives (reduce the production of waste wherever possible and mitigate its effects on the environment; promote the recycling and re-use of waste in order to reduce the quantities of waste which is treated and disposed of in landfills; collection, testing and dissemination of information about waste management; developing specific strategies for different types of waste; creation and development of the awareness of sustainable and safe waste management; promotion sustainable waste management and other).