In Slovenia, only 74 percent of the population receives garbage collection services. In Slovenia, 500,000 cubic meters of waste is dumped outside central landfills every year. In Slovenia, there are somewhere between 10,000-15,000 unauthorized and improperly managed dumpsites over 10 cubic meters; the numbers rise to over 50,000 if you talk about landfills larger than one cubic meter.
It's this fact, the fact that Slovenia is wasting away, that prompted Igor Sebenik, a researcher from the Institute of Geography at the University of Ljubljana, to participate in the REC's Senior Fellowship Program. Sebenik has already published a book on the "characteristics of small, improperly managed dumps in Slovenia." Without wasting any time, he started work on his Ph.D.: cataloguing and monitoring Slovenia's central, properly managed waste dumps.
Though Sebenik claims waste management often gets left at the end of the priority list in favor of more "important" problems like air and water quality, monitoring these landfills is important because they can have a very negative impact on the environment. In fact, it is a direct cause of polluted groundwater.
"Regionally, there is a large problem with waste of all types damaging the environment. This is especially harmful to streams and karsts (limestone terrain characterized by ravines and underground streams). There are over 500 karst caves (5 percent of all known karsts) that are already full of waste," says Sebenik.
Sebenik also wanted to compare the monitoring processes used in Hungary and Slovakia. The first step to an effective monitoring system is to develop a computer database of all known waste dumps. These databases keep track of the amount of waste at each site, the types of waste (such as solid, hazardous or chemical) and certain vital statistics such as age and area. While visiting his counterparts in Hungary, Sebenik found just what he was looking for: a decent database. The INNOSYSTEM at Vituki tracks solid waste, oil tanks and septic tanks all over Hungary. To date, the system covers about 20 percent of Hungary's total surface area.
"It's a good database," says Sebenik. "It's well-structured, has good coverage and a good management system, and it's very complete." It's experiences like these, Sebenik says, that he can take back to Slovenia and use there.
Another aspect of Sebenik's study was to see how Hungary and Slovakia assess their landfills and waste sites. Sebenik hopes to take a peek at studies of old and existing dump sites to see not only what the status of the actual sites is, but how they are being monitored.
"This research will definitely help my Ph.D. It will eventually allow all of us to discuss the problems and compare methods on how to solve them. I'll know what's going on around the region and I'll be able to see where we all sit." Unfortunately, Sebenik will probably find he is sitting in a pile of garbage.