Integrated Waste Management. Approach And Implementation In Romania

Waste management has become particularly important in the analysis of the sustainable development of any territory, given the pressure they exert on local systems, human health, environmental costs or the aesthetic value of landscapes. As a result of industrial development and accelerated urbanization, collection, processing, storage and final disposal of waste has become a major challenge of the present. The present paper provides with a holistic image of waste management, focusing on the role of public administration in managing waste in an environmental sustainable way. The paper points out the need for an integrated waste management, as waste management is built up of many closely related processes, reality proving that slow results are achieved if focusing and comparing individual options. After shaping the concept of integrated waste management, the paper approaches waste management at national level and provides with relevant statistical data that mirror the achieved level in the field and existing dysfunctions. At the same time, the paper points out the main progresses or burdens related to integrated waste management at county level in Romania, available financing instruments, impact at socio-economic level, stakeholders involved, results achieved or political implications towards reaching the environmental targets negotiated by Romania as an EU member. In the end, the paper identifies the main problems faced in the implementation of integrated waste management systems and proposes viable and applicable solutions.