Country profile - Societal developments (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia)

Waste management

The generation of municipal waste[1] – waste from households, commercial waste and other waste types – is about 570 000 tonnes annually. Around 25 % of the total amount is biodegradable. On average, annual waste generation is 250-315 kg/person (data is based on samples and from public utilities).

No system has yet been organised for the collection and recycling of packaging waste, and national legislation to incorporate the Packaging Directive has not yet been prepared.

Hazardous and non-hazardous industrial solid waste is usually disposed of, together with waste from other processes, at industrial landfills, or, together with other waste, at municipal landfills. It has been estimated that around 5 000 tonnes of industrial non-hazardous waste are disposed of in municipal landfills annually, together with around 500 tonnes of industrial hazardous waste.

Some wastes are recycled by the informal sector, including metals, paper, plastics, batteries and waste oils.

Regular waste collection services are limited mainly to urban areas with around 90 % coverage in cities and suburbs, but only 10 % of the rural population. This means that 70 % of the total population is provided with waste collection service on a regular basis, while the remaining portion, living far from urban centres, manages their wastes independently. There has been no regular collection of prior selected waste, except collection of certain types of bulk wastes in Skopje.

Waste collection services are performed mainly by public utilities dealing with water supply and wastewater collection, and other municipal services. Waste disposal is not compliant with technical and/or environmental standards.