Noise pollution, also known as artificial noise or sound pollution, is the propagation of noise with a harmful impact on the activity of human or animal life. The source of outdoor noise worldwide is mainly caused by machines, transport (especially planes) and propagation systems. Some of the main sources of noise in residential areas include loud music, noise from congestion and low accessibility, construction sites, small industry or industrial production lines even people’s daily activities and shouting (sports games).

Alternative noise monitoring will be carried out in the country's four municipalities. It will initially be piloted in the Tirana municipality, then extended to two more municipalities. The monitoring will be carried out by Civil Society Organizations, which will be chosen through a call, on the basis of meeting the necessary requirements, which primarily emphasize their capacity to carry out this surveillance (human capacity) and past experiences in the field of environmental monitoring, in specific environmental noise monitoring. CSOs will be assisted and trained by Co-PLAN experts - Institute for Habitat Development and the partner Organization Milieukontakt in Albania.

Alternative environmental noise monitoring aims at assessing the noise situation in urban areas, evaluating the impact on people’s life and creating a database to better address problems in order to develop an effective action plan to tackle them with a view to improving the situation in problem areas.  Alternative noise monitoring in the environment will also contribute in the increasing of fair and fact-based causes in the areas where monitoring will take place by CSOs, communities and professional experts.