From May 1, waste removal was suspended in 12 settlements near Chisinau. More than 80 thousand people risk being left with garbage at home. Environment Minister Gheorghe Hajder spoke about this. The minister accused the mayor of Chisinau, Ion Ceban, of blocking access to the landfill in Tintareni. Cheban denied the accusations and spoke “about the illegal disposal of waste by a private operator.”
Position of the Ministry of Environment
According to the Ministry of Environment, the private company served more than 20 localities around Chisinau, including the city of Singeru and the villages of Revaku, Dobruja, Bacioi, Braila, Straseni, Suruceni and Colonita. After collection, the waste was taken to Singeru for sorting, and non-recyclable waste had to be sent to the landfill in Tintsareni.
According to the department, the conflict began after the municipal enterprise Autosalubritate terminated a contract with one of the companies. The ministry believes that this happened on the instructions of the mayor. As a result, the company notified local authorities that the company could no longer operate as of May 1.
“Due to Mayor Cheban’s irresponsible decision to block access to the landfill in Tintsareni, more than 80 thousand residents were left without waste removal and risk being left with garbage at home. This is a man-made crisis that could turn our fields and hills into illegal dumping grounds. I cannot see how political ambitions lead to environmental disaster,” Hajder said.
The minister said that he intends to intervene in the situation in the coming days and has already discussed possible solutions to the problem with some representatives of local authorities.
What does Cheban say?
The mayor of Chisinau, Ion Ceban, called the accusations “lies” and spoke about the “family business” of government officials in the waste sector. The mayor cited data according to which the company almost did not use the landfill in Tsintsareni in recent years.
“In 2024 – 0 tons, in 2025 – 300 tons, in 2026 – 0 tons exported to Tsintsareni. At the same time, more than 50 trucks with waste arrive there every day. They are unloading garbage at an illegal landfill in Bachoy,” Cheban said.
According to him, the company avoids a licensed landfill in order not to pay for transport and the tariff of 300 lei per ton, preferring an unauthorized landfill 2 km from the city.
“They make money from the health and safety of citizens. And all this is covered up by deputies, “deciders” from the presidency, ministers and other PAS representatives,” the mayor added.
Cheban also said that Autosalubritate was not responsible for the situation and accused the company of deliberately leaving garbage near citizens’ homes to cause panic.
He stressed that he was ready to intervene and called on the mayors of the affected localities to send official appeals to the Chisinau mayor’s office.
“If they continue to mislead people, let the mayor’s office submit an official request – we will intervene. I’m at work today, tomorrow, and Sunday, ready to meet with mayors and representatives of localities,” Cheban explained.
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Earlier, a dispute erupted in Singer over a waste collection and sorting center. The mayor of Chisinau, Ion Ceban, reported a possible “ecological disaster.”
The Environmental Protection Inspectorate conducted an inspection and reported that no hazardous waste was found, transmits Stopfals.md. However, violations were still found. Some waste was temporarily stored outside the permitted perimeter. For this, the company was fined and ordered to eliminate violations.
At the same time, the Environmental Agency and the Ministry clarified that the company has a valid license until 2029, and Hajder accused Ion Ceban of making a “political show” on a topic where it is necessary not to escalate, but to calmly check the facts. The Environment Agency also said the situation did not constitute an “environmental disaster.”
The decision on the fate of the company’s license will be made by mid-May. Meanwhile, more than 6,300 people signed a petition demanding the plant be stopped.
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