The Illegal Dumping of Waste in Forest Areas - Evidence from Rural Territory
Household waste generated is often uncollected in rural areas causingvarioustypes of pollution like: air and water pollution, soil pollution and theaestheticdegradation of the landscape. The environmental legislation proposed by theEuropean Union was transposed into the national legislation but theimplementation process was difficult because of particular situationsencountered in practice. The rudimentary infrastructure of waste managementand limited access to waste collection services lead to uncontrolledhousehold waste disposal. In this context, the geographical location ofrural settlements influences the way of waste disposal either on riverbanks or open dumps placed on roadsides or forest areas with variousenvironmental implications. Those, forest areas in the proximity of humansettlements or recreation areas become vulnerable to waste pollution. Evenif local authorities are obliged to provide waste collection facilitiessince July 16, 2009, the illegal dumping of waste in forests is stillNpresent. This situation is reflected by field observations from Suceava andNeam counties. Usually, forest areas affected by uncontrolled wastedisposal are located in hilly regions or sub-Carpathian areas. Thedegradation of these areas is visible and this can have a negativeinfluence not only on the environment but also on tourism activities