According to INSTAT, from 2020 to 2025, over 7,600 building permits were approved in Albania, while the total area of new construction exceeded 13 million square meters.
In 2025 alone, 1,158 building permits were issued, compared to 970 in 2024 and 1,336 in 2023, while the construction area reached over 1.3 million m². Of the total permits issued in 2025, 93 permits were issued in Tirana alone; in other words, 1 in 3 building permits went to the capital.
Behind this construction boom lies another reality: millions of tons of inert waste are produced every year, without a functional system for its treatment, recycling or disposal. In the absence of control and the necessary infrastructure, rivers, urban suburbs and green spaces are gradually turning into informal dumping grounds for the construction fever.
Dhimitër Papa, a civil engineer and designer, according to a simple calculation, says that just from the construction of a 10-story building with an area of 2,000 square meters, about 37,000 tons of inert material or 1,020 trucks are generated.
Where are these large quantities going? How much space is available for their storage?