Helping industry clean up its act
As the Western Balkans edge closer to the EU, countries like Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina need to improve their record in waste management, especially in relation to industry. The EU-funded project 'Integrated industrial solid waste management in Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina' (Inswam) aimed to help stakeholders such as policymakers and researchers in promoting integrated management solutions for industrial solid waste. The project team analysed specific case studies in different industries including mining, metallurgy, chemical and construction, mapping the waste management sector in each country. It subsequently developed management criteria such as best available techniques (BATs) in line with the EU's Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive. Inswam then categorised industrial solid waste, toxicity, hazardous compounds and acid generation, in addition to promoting the life-cycle assessment and risk analysis concepts to stakeholders. All the recommendations and criteria established during the project were then put into practice within selected case studies to upgrade specific industrial sectors. The project team also compared the two countries' existing regulations to those of the EU in order to bridge existing gaps through knowledge exchange, workshops and other initiatives. Importantly, Inswam helped introduce guidelines to integrate the European Environmental Policy towards sustainable development into these countries' laws. This will minimise environmental impacts of industry and encourage the vision of sustainable development where it is needed most.
