Waste Management in Gala?i County

• Author: Manuela Panaitescu
• Position: Senior Lecturer, PhD, Danubius University of Galati, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Romania
• Pages: 481-489

ISSN: 2067 – 9211 Miscellaneous

481

Waste Management in Galați County

Manuela Panaitescu1

Abstract: Galați County has begun the implementation of the circular economy through the major waste

management project submitted for funding to the European Commission. The paper presents as a case study

this project, financed through the Operational Program for Large Infrastructure, in which the circular economy

is i ntroduced and implemented as a concept. The project will i mplement an integrated waste management

system in Galați County, which will have a significant positive impact on the environment, human health and

quality of life, especially in terms of reducing surface water, soil and groundwater contamination, reducing air

pollution, reduced climate impact, reduced hazards for the general public and improved quality of life.

Keywords: Green Waste; Recycling;

JEL Classification: Q55; Q57

1. General Considerations Regarding Waste Management

The term ‘waste’ refers to the unwanted materials or substances produced by human activity which has

the potential to cause pollution when released into the environment, if causing a risk to human health,

or exceeding the environmental carrying capacity. These materials or substances could be solid, liquid,

gaseous or radioactive. However, what is considered by one industry as a waste may very well be a

useful resource for another.

The collection of waste is an important step of the waste management cycle, because the collection of

sorted waste that soon separates different kind of materials makes their reusing, recovering, and

recycling easier and more efficient, reducing the amount of landfilled waste.

According to Bosman, the process towards development of an Integrated Waste Management (IWM)

would entail the following steps (fig. 1):

a) Establish the existing status (Status Quo) with regard to waste management, and determine any

risks or impacts relating to current waste management practices;

b) Set management objectives (Desired End State) to address these identified risks and impacts,

and obtain confirmation from management, authorities and key stakeholders on the acceptability

of the management objectives;

c) Identify and evaluate waste management alternatives that could be taken to r each the

management objectives, and that will address backlogs and shortfalls. This evaluation is

conducted against a predetermined set of evaluation criteria, and includes a risk-assessment as

1 Senior Lecturer, PhD, Danubius University of Galati, Faculty of Econ omic Sciences, Romania, Address: 3 Galati Blvd.,

Galati, Romania, Tel.: +40372361102, Fax. +40372361290, Corresponding author: manuelapanaitescu@univ-danubius.ro