By Sebi Alla Ermal Dredha, the current Mayor of Vlora, at the start of his term in 2023, announced ‘cleaning the city‘ and addressing waste management issues as priorities. For the third year in a row, Vlora has experienced multiple urban waste fires during the tourist season at a landfill near the “24 Maji” neighborhood.
The Problem
‘I was there on June 7 when the fire broke out at the waste disposal site. It looked like an environmental nuclear explosion. Burning waste is intolerable’, environmental expert Lavdosh Ferruni told Faktoje.al.
There is still no comprehensive study on the exact amount of urban waste causing problems there, but estimates suggest it exceeds 350,000 tons. Besides the strong foul odor, residents living near the landfill are seriously at risk to their health. ‘Dioxins and furans released from burning waste have been proven carcinogens. There is also contamination of soil, water, and air. The burning of urban waste, especially plastics, is classified as one of the most dangerous forms of pollution’, Ferruni says.
Reaction
The Vlora Municipality goes even further in addressing the issue of waste burning, admitting that it causes serious consequences, including contributing to global warming. ‘Burning waste releases many elements into the air such as dioxins, furans, polycarbonates, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides. The CO2 and methane released from the waste also contribute to global warming. The smoke and strong odor are experienced by nearby communities’, the Vlora Municipality stated in its response to Faktoje.al.
At the same time, Mayor Ermal Dredha is not the only one who promised to solve this problem. ‘We were promised this issue would be resolved. Even before the elections, some deputies came and said that the waste would be removed, but nothing has changed; the trash is still being dumped’, Valentin Aliaj told Faktoje.al.
‘Ehhh, we’ve heard this from every mayor who has come, always saying ‘we will fix it soon,’ but where is the solution?’ asked another resident, Ismail Lazaj, pointing toward the large pile of waste that continues to smoke in two or three small spots.
Fact
Amid a large pile of waste, two shepherds make way for a large flock of sheep, whose color has completely taken on the appearance of urban waste, a pronounced gray. Their freedom is interrupted by the noise of a small truck with the Vlora Municipality logo, loaded with garbage, which dumps the waste in a rush and quickly drives off to avoid drawing attention. This was the scene Faktoje.al encountered on the morning of June 16th, at the start of the tourist season in Vlora.
In its response to Faktoje.al, the Vlora Municipality acknowledges that waste continues to be dumped there but claims that it consists of materials not accepted for processing at the landfill. ‘At the old dumping site, only inert waste is deposited, which is not accepted at the landfill, such as: household furniture waste, household appliances, sanitary equipment, electronic device waste, and construction materials’, stated the Cleaning Department of the Vlora Municipality.
Faktoje.al found in two instances that small trucks were unloading urban waste. The ’24 Maji’ neighborhood in Vlorë, located at the dividing point between the Soda Forest and Zvërnec, has turned into a frightening source of infections due to the waste, the strong stench, carbon dioxide from burning, and the inactivity of the local administration in addressing the situation. ‘There’s a serious health risk there. Especially in the morning when the trash is burned, it’s a problem, we can’t breathe’, says Ismail Lazaj, a resident of the area and one of the few who agreed to speak, since many fear that speaking out could lead to trouble at work or for their small businesses.
Municipality
‘Let us not throw away accusations aimlessly, because it harms Vlora. There’s been a tremendous amount of work done. We must understand one thing, that waste site has been used for over 40 years and is beyond capacity. The biggest challenge we’ve faced, at least since I took this position, has been the legal aspect of getting the landfill operational. Since April 26, 2025, all urban waste has been going to the Sherishta landfill‘, said Ermal Dredha, Mayor of Vlorë, in a recent public statement. In an official reply to Faktoje.al, the institution acknowledged the issue, noting that the phenomenon of burning waste at the collection site is not new. ‘The problematic situation regarding urban waste at the landfill has been a recurring issue in previous years as well’, stated the Municipality of Vlorë, adding: ‘all the necessary complaints have been made about the causes of this issue, and the relevant institutions are investigating whether it was intentional or accidental’.
Mayor Dredha also mentioned the possibility of encapsulating the waste collection site, but the official response from the Municipality of Vlorë does not confirm any such project. ‘The Cleaning Department has no information about a project to encapsulate the waste, its cost, or whether the municipality itself or a contractor will implement it’, the response said, while also admitting: ‘we cannot definitively speak of the complete resolution of the issue at the old waste dumping site’.
Waste Law
There is a special law on urban waste management that clearly defines how waste should be handled, which institutions are responsible, and what measures are taken in case of violations. Law no. 10 463, dated 22.09.2011, ‘On integrated waste management’, clearly states that the responsibility for the management, maintenance, and security of waste sites lies entirely with local government units. Referring to the law, some additional paragraphs specify punitive measures in case of violations of waste handling procedures, where the uncontrolled burning of waste is prohibited and constitutes a violation punishable by administrative sanctions and criminal prosecution, depending on the consequences.
Conclusion
Faktoje.al closely observed the waste site and confirmed that urban waste collected in Vlora and Orikum continues to be dumped at this landfill even after Mayor Dredha’s declaration that this dumping site was no longer in use. Faktoje.al documented with video evidence that on at least two occasions, in the morning and afternoon of June 16, vehicles marked with the Municipality of Vlorë logo unloaded waste at the landfill in the ’24 Maji’ neighborhood.
‘The garbage keeps being dumped. Small trucks come almost every two hours during the day and unload the trash, while at night, the number of large waste trucks increases’, said Valentin Aliaj to Faktoje.al, a young man who was born and raised there, living with the waste that suffocates him.
Therefore, the issue of waste management in Vlora remains an unfulfilled promise up to now.
‘Faktoje.al, supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), is monitoring 10 municipalities across the country and verifying whether the promises made by the mayors have been kept or not.
