Why should the waste from Fier and Elbasan go to Shkodra?
The 2027 draft budget raises a serious question mark over how the government is planning urban waste management in Albania.
According to Annex 6, waste from 21 municipalities is expected to be transported to the waste management area in Shkodra.
Among them are 14 municipalities in Elbasan and the Fier district.
But why should the waste of Elbasan and Fier be transported to Shkodra, when millions of euros in investments have been foreseen and financed for these two areas for waste treatment plants? Those famous incinerators….
For the Elbasan and Fier incinerator contracts alone, according to data published by the Ministry of Finance, around 2.4 billion and 4 billion lekë or 52 million euros have been disbursed for both, respectively (only publicly disclosed disbursements, without the contract values).
What is happening with these plants?
Why aren't they fulfilling the function for which they were funded by our taxes?
Meanwhile, on January 30, 2026, the Ministry of Environment announced the launch of the FASEP feasibility study, in collaboration with French partners, for three strategic areas: Tirana-Durrës, Fier and Elbasan. The Minister of Environment has also stated that work is underway to find a legal, technical and financial solution for these areas. (photo of the announcement below)
So, how does this strategy align with what the 2027 draft budget foresees, where transport to Shkodra is oriented and financed?
Do we have a new national strategy for waste management, or different decisions that do not match each other?
And above all, what happens to the billions of lek investments made in Fier and Elbasan?
Have these projects been finally abandoned?
If so, who is responsible for the billions spent from public money?
Who should hold us accountable?
Can Shkodra handle the waste management of over 30% of the country's municipalities from south to north?
And is there a clear technical, economic and environmental explanation for this decision?
The government should make public the study it is based on, explain to us why it chose Shkodra for the waste from Fier and Elbasan, and clarify how this scheme is related to the strategy announced by the Ministry of Environment itself, or are they each working separately and not getting along with each other…
Public money cannot be spent in one direction for several years, then projects abandoned and then other funds sought to solve the same problem. The budget is our taxes, it is our sweat.
You can't make a living off our money and now add 21% VAT to the equation!
Ps: I did not include the Tirana incinerator at all, which even in the 2027 draft budget exceeds 17 billion all.
