Arges County Regional Solid Waste Project

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The proposed project is the first of a two-phase integrated solid waste management programme for the whole Arges County, covering all of the County’s municipalities and rural areas. It comprises: (i) investments in a regional landfill and solid waste collection facilities; (ii) rationalisation of waste services and concessioning to the private sector of landfill management and waste collection services; and (iii) institutional development of regional waste monitoring, concession contract management and regulatory functions. Competition and private sector development Through the proposed project, waste services will be reorganised at a scale which will enable competition and private sector involvement; a concession will be tendered for private landfill management on a long-term contract, and a small number of waste collection concessions will be tendered to enable a move from predominantly public sector collection to private collection across the region. Technology transfer The proposed project will enable dramatic improvements in technology, including modern leachate (water containing contaminants which leaks from a disposal site such as a landfill or dump) collection and treatment, transfer stations, weighing stations; “green points” for recycling and composting; and modern waste collection vehicles. Besides physical technology, the Project aims to develop a culture of recycling through public promotion campaigns and incentives. Market expansion Through a regional approach, and a Partnership Agreement between the County and the municipalities of the region, the Project will enable financing for waste management at the level of small and medium municipalities and rural areas as well as the larger municipalities such as Pitesti. The Project will therefore enable these smaller municipalities to be integrated into the broader waste management sector. Framework for markets The proposed project will build capacity at the County level for tendering and awarding private sector waste concessions, and for monitoring and regulating the concessionaires and the sector in general. Through the Project, tariffs will also be increased to cost recovery levels. County of Agres, of which the main city is Pitesti in central Romania. EBRD loan of EUR 6.5 million. Expected co-financing of EU ISPA grant of EUR 18 million. EUR 24.5 million. The proposed project will significantly improve the environmental situation on the County and bring the waste management practices in the County into line with the applicable EU Directives (in particular the Landfill Directive) by investing into modernisation and expansion of the current Pitesti landfill, by closure and remediation of other existing landfills and uncontrolled dump sites; by constructing facilities for improved solid waste collection including new vehicles, containers for selective collection, composting units as well as by reorganising and rationalising the waste services and developing institutional capacity for waste management in the Judet. The project will subsequently improve the soil and sub-soil, air and water quality in the area, thus contributing to better living standards of the Arges County population. Provided by EU ISPA. Currently there is no contact at the County of Agres (EBRD contact Nodira Mansurova, Associate Banker, +44 20 7338 6093, or masuron@ebrd.com