FIRES IN THE WASTE MANAGEMENT SECTOR IN ROMANIA. FREQUENCY, CAUSES AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION

Abstract

Large waste fires are severe hazards to the human health and to the environment due to the sudden release of pollutants they imply. In this study we take a first step towards a better understanding of this phenomenon in Romania by creating and analyzing a waste fire database. Starting from a public data set regarding firefighting interventions in the waste management sector between 2016 and 2020, we have identified three main types of fires – fires at the municipal waste collection points, surface waste fires and fires at waste recycling facilities. We further calculated the frequency of these fires, identified their causes, and their spatial distribution.

Keywords

• waste fires, health, hazard, persistent organic pollutants, fire causes.