Landfill fires in Romania

Multiple hazards to human health and the environment are associated with a lacking waste management. Among them, landfill fires suddenly release large amounts of various chemicals, leading to environmental pollution and to potential impacts upon human health in the affected areas. The low level of separate collection and recycling of municipal waste in Romania leads to the accumulation of biowaste and other combustible waste (paper, plastic and textiles) in landfills, increasing the risk of landfill fires. Inventorying and monitoring the effects of such inadvertent events is a necessary step towards a thorough assessment of the environmental pollution at regional level. By using a waste fires database and reviewing press reports on large landfill fires, we have identified the spatial distribution of landfill fires in Romania, between 2016 and 2020. While the national annual average is rather low (around 35 fires per year), we were able to identify several hotspots of frequent landfill fires. Such sites draw attention to the ineffective municipal waste management in Romania and to the need for a better environmental monitoring in areas affected by landfill fires.