Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a consultation to discuss Armenia’s waste management strategy development process.

The Prime Minister first highlighted the need for developing an effective waste disposal and waste management system in Armenia. “Waste management is among the most urgent issues faced in our country. I have said on many occasions that unfortunately today the Republic of Armenia is covered with a thick layer of trash due to some kind of tolerance towards waste.

This is a serious problem indeed, and we must find ways to solve it. We cannot settle the matter even if our settlements appear to be clean and perfect because all we do now is to move waste from point A to point B, but we do not know what to do with it at point B. Today we will reflect on what we should do next.

An important indicator of civilization in the modern world is the way waste is handled in a country. The word ‘garbage” is negative in content, but at the same time, it is a serious resource that may be converted into a specific product, and thereby become a source of prosperity, an economic asset, a component of gross domestic product, and so on.

We should think over this problem. As a matter of fact, efforts have been made to this end in the Republic of Armenia for a while now; we have had some local achievements, but overall we have to find ways to deal with this issue in the long run.”

Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Suren Papikyan noted that the development of a waste management strategy is being carried out by a Prime Minister-established task force, the main goal being the formation of an efficient system of collection, transportation, sorting and recycling of waste throughout the republic.

The meeting next focused on the situation in the field of waste management, the main principles applicable in the system of waste disposal and solid waste management. Reference was made to the ongoing programs, the proposed waste recycling mechanisms, and waste managing companies’ institutional and legislative performance.

Summing up the discussion, the Premier once again stressed the importance of developing a comprehensive circuit of waste collection, management and recycling. The Head of Government told those responsible to promote the activities of waste management companies. He instructed them to finalize the strategic document within a short period of time and submit a comprehensive waste management strategy with an action plan and a clear timetable for implementation. The Prime Minister highlighted the need for standardizing the strategy based on relevant performance criteria.