Category: Community mobilization

The communities of Sîngereii Noi, Bilicenii Vechi and Heciul Nou have taken an important step toward a cleaner environment and better public services. On November 18, the representatives of the three Municipalities signed the Cooperation Agreement and the Grant Agreement within the MĂ IMPLIC Project, funded by Switzerland and implemented by SKAT. This event officially marks the beginning of the implementation of a modern intercommunal solid waste management service..

A mature partnership built on collaboration and trust

The road to signing the Grant Agreement was not a simple one. It required months of careful work in which the Municipalities of Sîngereii Noi, Bilicenii Vechi and Heciul Nou brought together people, ideas and responsibilities. Everything started with open discussions with residents – public consultations through which the community clearly expressed its needs and expectations.

Then came the technical stage: detailed analyses, financial calculations, evaluation of different service delivery models, and selecting the solution that best fit all three communities. Meanwhile, the local administrations worked on improving the legal framework needed to ensure that the new service can operate correctly and transparently.

These efforts led to the creation of the Service Improvement Plan (SIP) – a comprehensive document that outlines how the service will be organized, what equipment is needed, how the infrastructure will look, and what costs must be covered to ensure long-term sustainability. At the same time, tariffs and the Citizens’ Engagement Plan were approved—both essential for transparent and efficient operation.

The signing of the grant today confirms that all these steps were carried out with seriousness and responsibility. More than a formality, this moment reflects the strength of joint effort and a mature partnership built with the continuous support of the MĂ IMPLIC Project.

Estimated total investment value: 4 935 280  MDL:

 3.88  mln MDL – on-reimbursable funding offered by the Swiss Government through the MĂ IMPLIC Project;

1.05 mln MDL – local contribution of the three Municipalities.

Although the signing of the grant is an important and long-awaited milestone, the real challenge starts now. In the coming months, the three Municipalities, together with the Municipal Enterprise “Salubsincomserv”, will enter an intensive implementation stage—one that will transform plans on paper into a functional, visible service accessible to every household.

The first step will be organizing and testing collection routes to identify the most efficient paths and understand real needs in the field. In parallel, the enterprise’s staff will be trained to ensure the service is modern and well-coordinated.

But the success of such a service also depends on people. Therefore, an extensive period of public information and citizen engagement will follow, during which residents will learn how the system works, how they can subscribe, how to sort waste correctly, and what responsibilities each household has.

The subscriber base will gradually expand so that as many families as possible can be included. Implementing selective waste collection will change long-standing habits and bring the communities closer to a cleaner, more responsible way of living.

At the same time, the Municipal Enterprise will need to maintain equipment in good condition and ensure the financial sustainability of the service—an essential requirement for long-term results.

All these efforts will culminate in the long-awaited moment: the official launch of the intercommunal waste management service—a concrete and visible change for all three communities.

Between August and September 2025, as part of the “MĂ IMPLIC – Civic Engagement in Local Governance” project, implemented by SKAT with the support of Switzerland, six training workshops were organized to strengthen public waste management services. The activities were carried out in collaboration with the “E-Circular” Association.

A total of 145 participants took part in the workshops — specialists from municipalities and municipal enterprises, authorized operators, teachers, and community representatives — coming from more than 40 localities, including Bădiceni, Cotova, Șeptelici, Cupcini, Brătușeni, Ciuciuleni, Bobeica, Dezghingea, Pruteni, Risipeni, Telenești, Hîncești and others. The atmosphere was highly dynamic, with participants working in groups, reviewing real-life examples, and sharing experiences from their communities.

Out of the 14 local partnerships involved in Phase II of the project, 10 applied for improving communal household services — specifically solid waste management — representing 40 municipalities. The workshops were designed to directly support these local initiatives by:
• strengthening the capacities of local public authorities,
• enhancing the technical knowledge of municipal enterprises,
• facilitating cooperation between LPAs, service operators, and citizens.

The regional workshops offered clear explanations on waste legislation, the legal obligations of LPAs and service providers, and the steps required to organize separate waste collection. Participants discussed:
• collaboration with extended producer responsibility systems (EcoRep, FinPlast),
• the types of contracts and procedures required,
• methods to improve oversight and monitoring of the public service.

The intercommunal workshops, held in Călinești and Bădiceni, highlighted the role of citizens, schools, and local businesses in ensuring an effective public sanitation service. Discussions focused on the waste hierarchy, prevention, composting of biodegradable waste, practical measures to reduce plastic pollution, and the involvement of communities in monitoring the service.

Participants also interacted directly with authorized operators such as SRL FinPlast and EcoRep and learned from successful models implemented in other localities. One example is the sanitation operator from Borogani, which successfully connected the majority of households in the municipality to the waste collection service — a replicable and inspiring model for many communities.

For many municipalities, these training sessions provided practical opportunities to better understand legal responsibilities, analyze real models of service organization, identify locally adapted solutions, and involve citizens in developing public services. The workshops were widely appreciated as useful, hands-on, and necessary for strengthening modern and efficient waste management services aligned with citizens’ expectations.