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Introduction
This is our report on Municipal, Commercial, Industrial and Medical Wastes which can be Hazardous and Non-Hazardous. Therefore, this report will be concentrated on these types of wastes which are present in Kosovo. The report is organized by the types of wastes, where each group member had to research on one type of waste. The research method conducted for the paper is a summary of numerous articles, journals and reports conducted throughout the years about the aforementioned types of wastes present in Kosovo. At first there is a section for the definitions of wastes present in Kosovo, followwed by a brief background on Kosovo as a country and its environmental situation. In addition, the following section deals with Municipal waste including the collected waste amount, the way of collecting this waste, the treatment and the disposal. In addition, there is the Commercial waste section which includes the disposal of commercial waste, the tariffs on commercial waste and the topic of unused vehicles as part of the commercial waste. Furthermore, data was presented also on Industrial Waste, concentrating on its sources, waste management and different statistics. Lastly, our report is concentrated on medical wastes. The section of medical wastes includes information on medical wastes and the proper ways of disposing it. Moreover, each of the sections includes tables and figures which portray the situation on wastes in Kosovo. Thus, in this paper we are going to present the found data, the effects and the figures on municipal, commercial, industrial and medical hazardous and non-hazardous wastes.
The environment plays a crucial role in a society, since its effects are reflected directly upon the citizens. The problem of environmental degradation is one of the biggest problems that Kosovo faces towards achieving development. The sources of environmental deprivation are numerous and include : air, land, water and waste.( Hjortberg, A. S., & Wingqvist, G. Ö, 2008; USAID 2009; Krasniqi-Veseli, L., 2012, Agjensioni per Mbrojtjen e Mjedisit te Kosoves, n.d). The wastes in Kosovo are grouped in non-hazardous and hazardous. According to the waste law in Kosovo there wastes types present are: municipal, commercial, industrial and medical. (KEPA, 2009).
Definitions
In order to understand the importance of wastes for an environment, they first ought to be defined. A waste is any substance which constitutes a scrap material or an effluent or other unwanted surplus substance and any substance or article which requires to be disposed of as being broken, worn out, contaminated or otherwise spoiled (Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency, 2009; EIE | Environmental Information Exchange, n.d.). Furthermore, hazardous waste is defined as the waste which is “explosive; oxidizing; flammable; irritant; harmful; toxic; carcinogenic; corrosive; infectious; teratogenic; mutagenic; release toxic gases in contact with water, air or an acid; capable of yielding another ‘hazardous’ substance; ecotoxic.” Whereas non hazardous wastes are “wastes that do not pose any risk to the environment and human health and do not possess the characteristics of hazardous waste.” (KEPA, 2009). The wastes are then divided into categories where municipal waste is waste from households and other activities similar to households (Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency, 2009; EIE | Environmental Information Exchange). Another category is industrial waste, which is considered to originate from manufacturing, industrial activities, handicraft and any other activity involving production (KEPA, 2009; EIE | Environmental Information Exchange). The waste from premises used wholly or mainly for the purposes of a trade or business or for the purposes of sport, recreation, education, or entertainment is defined as commercial waste (KEPA, 2009; EIE | Environmental Information Exchange).Finally, medical or clinical waste is considered to be any waste materials which derive from health care facilities (Medical Waste | Wastes | US EPA).
Background
As one of the youngest countries in the world, which has received its independence on February, 17th 2008, Kosovo is still considered as one of the poorest countries in the region. However, since its independence there have been significant improvements in every aspect of Kosovo’s economy (CIA- the World Fact book). Despite the improvements Kosovo still has a long way to go in order to reach development, considering its high unemployment and GNI per capita of $ 3,520 (Doing Business in Kosovo - World Bank). The major industries in Kosovo are energy, mining and agriculture (CIA- the World Fact book). One of the biggest challenges that hinder development is environmental degradation. There have been some policies implemented by the government in order to reduce this problem; however the environmental degradation still remains one of the biggest challenges for the country. The environment is harmed by certain factors such as urbanization, industrialization, agriculture and economic development (USAID, 2009). There are numerous factors which cause the degradation of the environment of Kosovo. These include lack of water monitoring, the energy sector, lack of waste management, industry and mining, agriculture, traffic and so on (USAID, 2009; Agjensioni per Mbrojtjen e Mjedisit te Kosoves; Halili, Gashi, F. A, 2009). All these factors make the issue of environmental degradation one of the most important issues for Kosovo. Moreover, the environmental situation makes Kosovo the most environmentally degraded country in Europe (Kosova me mjedisin më të degraduar në Evropë - Lajme - Koha Net, 2012).
The different types of wastes are largely present in the country, posing a serious risk to citizens. The issue of wastes has received some government attention, considering that there have been some attempts to improve the situation. However, these attempts have not been successful (Provisional institutions of self-government). The lack of landfills is also a challenge to the government. There are 26 landfills in Kosovo which do not fulfill the needed standards and pose a risk to the environment. The waste disposed in these landfills is unplanned causing a pollution of the environment. Moreover, there is a big number of “wild landfills” present in the country causing even more harm. Evidently, there is a lack of effective mechanisms for improving the situation. Until now there has been only a basic law the Waste law Nr.02/L-30 which is supposed to regulate the wastes in Kosovo. This law ensures the establishing conditions for the reduction and the prevention of waste. Moreover, the Kosovo Environmental Strategy is one of the most important documents for the country. This strategy prioritizes the reduction of waste and the prevention of waste spreading. In addition, there is an environmental Action Plan for the period 2006-2010 with the objective of developing an effective system for waste management. Other institutions which play a role in improving the environmental situation are: Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency, Regional Companies and so on. There have been attempts by all these institutions to reduce or prevent the spread of wastes; however none of them have been particularly successful (KEPA, 2009).
Municipal Waste
This section provides some information about the municipal waste in Kosovo throughout, including the amount that is collected during latest years, the manner of waste collection, their treatment and their disposal. There is little or no information on municipal waste collection or disposal in particular for the past two years. Most of the information that is available are mostly for the years 2007, 2008, and 2009.
It is argued that Kosovo still does not have a good and appropriate system of waste management including collection, disposal, classification, recycling, etc. Moreover, there is little or no data on municipal waste and waste in general. (World Bank) Another concerning issue is the landfills where the waste is dumped is not suitable for its service, resulting the citizens to dump the waste on inappropriate sites like for instance near rivers or what is even worse being burned. The concerning issue of waste that is not collected by municipal companies of waste collection, is because people tend to burn their wastes no matter what their material is. Another way citizens use to dispose their domestic waste is dumping it into the rivers or near them.According to World Bank data, around 200,000 tons a year are not collected but rather are being illegally dumped or burned in the backyard of the houses. This illegal activity creates many negative externalities like polluting the air and costing Kosovo a lot of money. (World Bank)
According to a table shown in the article “The state of Waste in Kosovo 2008 Report” published in 2009, municipality waste represents 18 % of the overall waste. (KEPA, 2009). Since Kosovo does not provide a reliable set of data of waste collection and disposal, many of this information are not the most recent ones. However, there are some data of the year 2008, where it is shown that less than 50% of the people who live in Kosovo are provided with the services of waste collection. (KEPA, 2009; WWRO, 2012)
Based on a table shown in the aforementioned article the capital city of Kosovo, Prishtina has the largest coverage of waste collection service provided to its citizens. It is shown that 64% of Prishtina’s population was provided with waste collection service in 2007, whereas in 2008 this service was provided to only 52% of the people. (KEPA, 2009)
Table 1.0. The coverage of population provided with waste collection services for the period 2007-2008 expressed in (%)
Citizens of other cities in Kosovo, have even lower percentage of population provided with this service. There are 7 licensed regional waste companies that operate in Kosovo. (WWRO, 2012) Through the table above we can see the percentage of people of other cities that are covered with waste collection systems. The lowest services offered in Kosovo are in Mitrovica, where only 29% of the people are provided with waste collection services.
As we earlier states and notice from the table below, municipal waste or household waste contains 18 % of the overall wastes in Kosovo, while the largest share of waste is ash and grime which accounts for 45%. (KEPA, 2009)
Figure 1.0. Wastes according to the type in Kosovo (%)
Even though, municipality waste represents 18% of whole waste in Kosovo (KEPA, 2009), only 1.2 % of it is considered to be hazardous, whereas around 35% is organic waste.The figure above, shows the fractions of municipal waste, separated by different types of waste. The largest share of waste is organic waste, which is basically left food of households and other. Other types of waste is letter which covers 4,6% of municipal waste, metal and plastic that account for 9,3% and 9,4% share respectively. Wood waste and glass have a larger share of waste, but still they do not account more than organic waste. (KEPA, 2009)
Figure 1.2. Fractions of municipal wastes (%)
According to the article “Municipal Waste Survey 2010” an individual of Kosovo on average generates around 297 kg per year. (SOK, 2011). There is big difference between cities and regions in Kosovo. For instance in Prishtina a person on average generates about 500 kg wastes per year, whereas in other regions it is estimated that a person generates only 226kg waste per year. (SOK, 2011). According to some tables published in this article (Municipal Waste Survey 2010) there has been an increase on the generation and waste collection of municipal waste through the years 2008, 2009 and 2010. (SOK, 2011). This increase on 2010 was of more than a hundred tons of waste collected in difference to 2008. (SOK, 2011; SOK, 2010)
The collected municipal waste in Kosovo is dumped into different landfills around Kosovo. There are around 10 landfills in Kosovo, where municipal waste is dumped. According to the article “The state of Waste in Kosovo 2008 Report” in 2008, the largest share of waste was disposed in Prishtina’s landfill (80,185,06 tons) and the lowest share in Peja’s landfill (21,667 tons). (KEPA, 2009) Moreover, recent data show that the quantity of municipal waste in Kosovo was around 515,000 tons on 2010. The overall waste collection was mostly done through door to door with 57% of all waste. (SOK, 2011). However, not all wastes are dumped in these municipal legal landfills. People tend to dump their wastes into different illegal dumpsites, where the waste is not proper to be dumped. There are about 150 illegal dumpsites where waste is dumped and those dumpsites include around 40% of Kosovo's land. (World Bank)
Here are some pictures of different landfills around Kosovo:
Picture 1.0. Old Landfill in Prishtina
Picture 1.1. Regional landfill in Gjilan
Picture 1.2. Landfill in Fushe Kosove
Picture 1.3. Municipal landfill in Zvecan
Picture 1.4. Regional landfill in Peje
Picture 1.5. Regional landfill in Prizren
Picture 1.6. Landfill in Sharr
Commercial Waste
This section is about the commercial waste in Kosovo and talks about its usage such as for education, recreation and so on. Moreover, because its disposal it is very expensive, this section does not only show the disposal of commercial waste but it also presents ways in which commercial waste can be reduced or recycled by also emphasizing the tariffs on disposal of the waste.The unused vehicles are another issue that this section will discuss due to the fact that disabled/unused vehicles are a major contributor to global warming.
Commercial waste is the result of premises used for trade or business purposes. Moreover, commercial waste can be used for education, recreation, and so on (KEPA, 2009). It can be derived from a business and its processes (Essex Country Council, 2010). These wastes are very expensive to dispose; thus, by reducing and recycling them, one does not have to save it can do so by saving the environment instead. Relevantly, there is unprocessed waste which includes flammable (which consists of paper, plastic, cardboard, textile and so on) and inflammable (which consists of glass, aluminum, iron and so on) wastes and many other materials that are a result of commercial activities (KEPA, 2009). In Kosovo, the amount of waste disposed for years has counter a large generation of waste period especially in the phase of emergency constructions as a result of war damages that took place in the late 90s in Kosovo.
Disposal of Commercial Waste
The managing of waste is very crucial issue for the management of sustainable environment. All businesses in general have a responsibility to take care of the waste they produce as well as to make sure their waste is disposed properly, safely, and legally (Oxfrodshire Country Council, 2012). In Kosovo the waste treatment is administrated from AKM through Public Enterprises and urban zones that do contain 40% of dwells in Kosovo which are covered up to 90% (Morina, 2006). Whereas, in rural zones which do contain 60% of dwells are much less covered with these services (Morina, 2006).
Waste treatment in Kosovo, has started with slight steps. As Mahir Yagcilar stated on 2008 “So far, the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning has established the needed legal structure for waste management (the Law on waste and a series of administrative instructions that regulate this field)." (KEPA, 2009)
In general, the waste classification in Kosovo is referred to European Waste catalogue. In this catalogue all the damaging and undamaging wastes are listed among which the commercial ones include separate fractions of collection and are undamaging and inert.
Moreover, according to a table provided in the “The State of Waste in Kosovo 2008 Report,” it shows the daily average of waste present in Kosovo. 
Table 2.0. Shows the daily average of waste's presence in Kosovo.
Tariffs on Commercial Waste
Tariffs for the collection of waste the services provided are set by the waste and waste office founded by UNMIK (KEPA, 2009). According to this report, it was shown that the collection of waste for commercial customers in regional companies I Kosovo that shows the waste collection tariffs which depend on the provided services. The most notable companies with the highest tariff for service provided is “Pastrimi” a company from Prishtina and lowest tariff is a company from Peja called “Ambienti” (KEPA, 2009).
Disabled or Unused Vehicles
The auto industry (transport) is one of the main contributors to air pollution especially in urban areas/cities. EU regulations have had an effect of vehicle gas emission in Kosovo, seeing as many cars are imported from the EU; however it is difficult to have data of all the cars purchased from the EU that enter Kosovo, because many vehicles purchased are second hand. The import of new vehicles however can be measured and is available. According to a study done by Bashkim and others in 2010, the car fleet in Kosovo totaled to about 380,000 of which 82% were passenger cars, 10% light commercial vehicles, and 4 percent were heavy duty vehicles polluted (Woerden, Naber, Demukaj, Handjiski et al. 2011). Gas stations also pollute the environment and need to invest in vapor recovery systems, liquid proof pavements for soil protection and soil sanitation if the soil is already polluted (Woerden, Naber, Demukaj, Handjiski et al. 2011). Another cause of pollution is the lack of annual inspection on vehicles; vehicles are inspected upon entering Kosovo (being imported), however there is no annual car inspection policy in place. (Halili, Gashi, Pupovci, 2009 ;Woerden, Naber, Demukaj, Handjiski et al. 2011; KEPA, 2009)
Industrial Waste
In this section we are going to discuss about industrial wastes, the sources, and waste management systems suitable for these sorts of polluters, and statistics obtained over the years.
A major concern for the health of Kosovo citizens are the emissions of hazardous industrial pollutants. These pollutants pose serious health risks due to environmental pollution which in the industrial pollution case is caused by lead, cadmium, zinc, and copper emission into the air and landfills, as well as other toxic substances. The quality of the drinking water is heavy polluted by industrial wastewater and also by sources such as agricultural nitrates. (Halili, Gashi, Pupovci, 2009) With the lack of the implementation of waste regulations, waste disposal poses a major concern for the environment; in particular industrial wastes because of pollution caused by electricity emission, mining and transport sectors. (Halili, Gashi, Pupovci, 2009)
Unplanned construction in Kosovo, is one of the major contributors of industrial pollution seeing as there is a lack of spatial planning and little/poor management of industrial land. Some of the main sources of industrial pollution include energy production from thermo plants, a heavy industry consisting of metallurgy factories, and cement factories, as well as transportation, agriculture. The thermo power plants have very outdated equipment which was established in the 60’s, which has poor gas emission cleaning systems, which in turn contributes to the emission of air pollutants such as SO2, NOx, heavy metals, CO2, dust, suspended solids, dioxins, hydrocarbons and so on. (Halili, Gashi, Pupovci, 2009) Although there has been organized monitoring, it has not been carried out and no efficient waste management system has been put in place. As a result of a poor industrial waste management system, rivers in Kosovo exceed EU standards; industrial water and sewage discharge account for approximately 1500 1/ s discharged in the eastern part of Kosovo. Heavy traffic is another contributor of industrial pollution. In 2002 215,500 vehicles were registered in Kosovo, of which 25% were not registered, moreover they contribute to the release of gasses in processing fuel; based on the same study, 15.0 liters of oil and 12.2 liters of petrol are used annually per capita. (Halili, Gashi, Pupovci, 2009)
Lead contamination is also another heavy pollutant of the environment, and can also cause health problems. Lead emissions contaminate the air and water mainly from lead and zinc mines, including former lead smelters. Lead water pipes also cause the release of led, and this type of pollution is particularly found in urban areas. Kosovo has some zinc and lead mines farthest north of the city Mitrovica, while two others are located in the southeast of the capital city Pristina (Woerden, Naber, Demukaj, Handjiski et al., 2011). A lead smelter which operated for decades in Zvecan in the north of Mitrovica makes Mitrovica a hotspot (posing potential hazardous poisoning), because it was only closed in 2000. (Halili, Gashi, Pupovci, 2009; Woerden, Naber, Demukaj, Handjiski et al. 2011) Although the lead emissions have fallen drastically since the smelter in Zvecan was closed, there still remains contamination from lead mines and tailings from windborne dust, water and soil runoff and deposition. The soil around Zvecan is also heavily contaminated and it is a source of exposure to lead. During the former Yugoslavian period, the use of leaded gasoline was authorized and it has been regulated only recently in September of the year 2011, however other sources of lead exposure such as lead and pipes are not associated with documentation. (Woerden, Naber, Demukaj, Handjiski et al. 2011) Even at low levels of exposure, lead has health risks associated with it. Taking the example of Zvecan, a study conducted to show the effects that lead has on childrens IQ and intelligence, nearly 2 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood tend to cause hostile effects on childrens intelligence. (Halili, Gashi, Pupovci, 2009; Woerden, Naber, Demukaj, Handjiski et al. 2011) These were the results obtained from the study:
- Zvecan (22 children): mean BLL = 32.59 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL), standarddeviation (SD) = 28.67.
- North Mitrovica (44 children): mean BLL = 14.32 µg/dL, SD = 13.52.
- South Mitrovica (163 children): mean BLL = 6.68 µg/dL, SD = 4.70.
- Zubin Potok (16 children): mean BLL = 4.54 µg/dL, SD = 2.30.
- Pristina (42 children): mean BLL = 3.49 µg/dL, SD = 1.31.
(Woerden, Naber, Demukaj, Handjiski et al. 2011)
Other industries are contributors of NOx with approximately 8,860 tons per year, and a lesser amount of SO2 of 1,945 tons per year, according to a study by MEM done in 2010; however a recent study conducted by the KEPA suggests that SO2 emissions into the atmosphere could exceed 4,000 per year. SO2 generated from non-power sources, is mainly attributed to Ferronikeli. (Woerden, Naber, Demukaj, Handjiski et al. 2011; KEPA, 2009)
The auto industry (transport) is one of the main contributors to air pollution especially in urban areas/cities. EU regulations have had an effect of vehicle gas emission in Kosovo, seeing as many cars are imported from the EU; however it is difficult to have data of all the cars purchased from the EU that enter Kosovo, because many vehicles purchased are second hand. The import of new vehicles however can be measured and is available. According to a study done by Bashkim and others in 2010, the car fleet in Kosovo totaled to about 380,000 of which 82% were passenger cars, 10% light commercial vehicles, and 4 percent were heavy duty vehicles polluted. (Woerden, Naber, Demukaj, Handjiski et al. 2011) Gas stations also pollute the environment and need to invest in vapor recovery systems, liquid proof pavements for soil protection and soil sanitation if the soil is already polluted. (Woerden, Naber, Demukaj, Handjiski et al. 2011) Another cause of pollution is the lack of annual inspection on vehicles; vehicles are inspected upon entering Kosovo (being imported), however there is no annual car inspection policy in place. (Halili, Gashi, Pupovci, 2009 ;Woerden, Naber, Demukaj, Handjiski et al. 2011; KEPA, 2009)
Many substances which are found in different aggregate forms in Kosovo, build up for long periods of time in different equipment, machineries and so on, substances which overtime expired, and their chemical structure was changed and lead them to become potentially hazardous (Halili, Gashi, Pupovci, 2009 ;Woerden, Naber, Demukaj, Handjiski et al. 2011; KEPA, 2009). This is a table which shows the types of these wastes and the locations of disposal as well as the amount, up to the year 2006: (KEPA,2009)
Table 3.0 Types of waste, amount, location and municipality.
Ash waste produced by KEK also presents one of the major industrial pollutants. Since 2006, ash transport is made by tubes in hydraulic form from Power Plant Kosovo B, and it is disposed in rural/empty areas in Eastern Mirash. Both Power Plants, Kosovo A and B contribute to industrial pollution with over one million tons of ash per year, of which approximately 700,000 tons are disposed in landfills, while the remaining 300,000 tons are disposed into the air, causing a lot of pollution. The table below explains this in more detail. (KEPA, 2009) 
Table 3.1. Ash quantity produced in KEK power plants (presented in tons) and Contents of ash in % according to its components.
Out of the different studies and data accessed it is safe to say that industrial pollution by hazardous wastes is a major problem not only for the environment but also the health and wellbeing of Kosovo’s citizens. Moreover, the studies show that there is no proper industrial waste disposal/management system in place and industrial waste pollution grows as time passes by with new infrastructure being built, power plant equipment growing older and being worn out, and smelts not being removed and safely disposed of. These types of pollution continue to have hazardous effects.
Medical Waste
This section is about the medical waste in Kosovo and the proper procurement taken to collect, transport, and dispose of the medical waste. Even though there is not a lot deal of information on this topic; the section contains a definition of the waste and also a table that shows where the expired drugs in Kosovo are disposed.
According to a report conducted by Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency medical wastes are considered to be hazardous waste. The definition for a substance to be hazardous is that if in direct contact with humans it is considered to be threatening to the human health and environment. The types of waste that are generated by the hospitals and other health facilities do not undergo any proper treatment process as well as other types of wastes (KEPA, 2009). What this means is that the wastes generated are not collected, transported, and disposed in the correct way as they are required by law in Kosovo and other countries (Bytyqi, 2011). On the other hand according to the report there are some centers in Kosovo that make us of the incineration for hospital waste. But unfortunately not all the waste is deposited to the incinerators only 20-30 % undergoes the required process while the rest is sent out to the containers of municipal waste. The very simple incinerators are located in: Prishtinë, Mitrovicë, Gjakovë and Pejë. The report states that “According to the data from hospitals and other health institutions, In Kosovo are generated about 5500 kg within a day, and/or 2.014.500 kg a year. Estimated in kg per capita the value is 0.0023 kg/capita/day. Hospitals have started to advance the collection system of medical waste by providing special containers dedicated for these types of waste, but the situation is out of control in private sector (KEPA, 2009).
The report also discusses the issue of expired drugs and how after the war in Kosovo an intense import of drugs acquired as a humanitarian aid or import for profit. The problem with the inherited amount of expired drug is that they entered in Kosovo without the significant control of their quality and quantity. The report states that “Drugs are mainly emplaced in state drug magazines, in customs magazines, in Farmakos” – Prizren, in company “Agani” and in central magazine that is under the supervision of Ministry of Health. Also a considerable amount of expired drugs is found in magazines of Kosovo hospitals facilities (KEPA, 2009, p.36).
Table 4.0. Quantity of expired drugs in Kosovo.
Conclusion
Even though Kosovo is on the right track for the disposal of waste it still has a long way to go before it can be considered a country that deals with the collection and disposal of waste in the right and legal manner. For example all waste are not classified and dumped in the same area and in most cases are burned which causes major pollution in the air. As to the commercial waste in Kosovo it is very expensive to dispose and the right solution is to recycle commercial waste such as paper and plastic. However this is not practiced to such a high extend in Kosovo because they do not have a proper system of recycling. The problem is also that the public is not well informed about what to do with the wastes generated and categorize them all as one and are dumped in the same place. One of the major problems in Kosovo is the pollution that is caused from industrial waste which causes a major risk on the health of the public. This continues to be a problem because of the ever growing infrastructure in Kosovo and without a proper industrial waste disposal management system the pollution just increases. According to the medical waste that this generated in Kosovo actions have been taken to dispose of the medical waste generated from hospitals and other health departments. Inclinators have been set up in different parts of the country to dispose of the medical waste. From our research we have conducted we can bring to a close that Kosovo has a problem with the waste that is generated and they need to find a system that disposes of the waste in the right way.
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21. World Bank. (n.d). Kosovo-Country Environmental Analysis-Cost Assessment of Environmental Degradation, Institutional Review, and Public Environmental Expenditure Review. Retrieved October 22, 2012, from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTKOSOVO/Resources/KosovoCEA.pdf
Appendix
This project was done by summarizing the sources found on different waste categories in Kosovo which include: municipal, commercial, industrial and medical waste. Each group member contributed equally, to every part of this report. At first we collaborated on the wiki by adding and summarizing sources that we found on the internet that dealt with wastes in Kosovo. After collecting all the articles, reports and journals that we could find on the internet we divided the tasks. Each group member had a specific part of the report to write about.The group members contributed as follows:Adea Kelmendi: Municipal Wastes; Anisa Bina: Introduction, Definitions and Background; Fiona Podrimaj: Commercial Waste; Gemza Burgija: Industrial Waste; Gresa Zekaj: Medical Waste and Conclusion. Each of us had to generate their own references and put them in the reference list.However, one problem that we encountered was the lack of sources that had information for wastes in Kosovo. Moreover, there were no sources that dealt with the waste situation of Kosovo for the recent years. Most of the data analyzed throughout the summarization of the articles at hand, was not up to date seeing as most of the studies and statistics were obtained in the previous years, mostly after the war in Kosovo. There was not much sufficient data to draw a reliable trend line so that we could better understand the situation of the types of polluters discussed throughout the paper. Also, there are not many specific waste management systems in Kosovo, most of the hazardous wastes are disposed of together with the non-hazardous wastes. There are no specific precautions taken to ensure the minimization of polluting the environment in Kosovo. Despite the lack of sources, we managed to write a report with enough data and information on the current situation of wastes in Kosovo.