Eastern Europe has tremendous need for waste management
facilities, but the problem is lack of financing, according
to Young.
World Bank and other international agencies have provided
some funding in waste management for Eastern
Europe and the developing world, although no exact figures
are available. As Carl Bartone, principal environmental
engineer in the World Bank’s Transportation,
Water and Urban Department said, “We’re doing a lot
more lending in this area.” World Bank is probably doing
three to five projects a year that include major solid waste
components, he added.
“Hardly any of our countries would benefit from incineration,”
Bartone continued. “The wastes in most developing
countries tend to be wet and fine-grained-very
different than the wastes you would find in industrialized
nations.”
Furthermore, cost is a major factor. Some developing
countries may only be able to pay 25 cents a ton to dispose
of garbage, versus $60 a ton in parts of Europe. The
developing world needs inexpensive solutions, argues Bartone,
and typically, that involves landfills. The World
Bank executive said he would like to see more attention
in the developing world given to recovery of methane
gases generated by landfills, known as “energy cell” technology.
This approach has gained some popularity in Sweden.