Program of measures for mothballing of landfills is being developed  in Armenia

ArmInfo.A program of measures for the mothballing of landfills is being developed In Armenia.

On May 7, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures  of the Republic of Armenia Suren Papikyan stated this from the  rostrum of the parliament.

According to him, the program will involve unemployed citizens of the  country whose work will be paid by the state. Thus, this category of  citizens will get a job, and garbage dumps will be mothballed. The  Ministry is currently working on the development of this program.  Particular attention will be paid to cleaning up from garbage tourist  centers, places of cultural and historical significance, and  territories adjacent to Lake Sevan.

In addition, as Suren Papikyan noted, work continues on the  construction of a landfill in the area of Kotayk and Gegharkunik,  which will enable residents of these regions to store garbage in a  specific place for 20 years. The only problem is recycling. The  Armenian side is not satisfied with the options that some investors  propose. But negotiations in this direction continue.

Earlier ArmInfo reported that the Eastern European Partnership for  Energy Efficiency and the Environment (E5P), managed by the European  Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), will grant Armenia a   2 million EUR for the construction of a new solid waste landfill for  the Gegharkunik and Kotayk regions of Armenia. The program for the  construction of a garbage landfill is the first EBRD project in the  field of solid waste management in Armenia and is aimed at  facilitating the plans of the Armenian government to modernize the  sphere and bring it in line with European standards. Works under the  program, was launched in December 2014. The EBRD provided 3.5 million  euros of loan funds, which in turn was supplemented by a grant of 3.5  million euros from the investment tool of the EU partnership. 8  communities will be included in the system of solid waste management,  7 of them in Kotayk region of Armenia and 1 in Gegharkunik.  Already  in 2016, the program was expanded by a sovereign loan from the EBRD  of 2 million euros, which allowed the inclusion of all 7 Kotayk  communities in the program, in particular, Hrazdan, Abovyan, Nor  Akhen, Byurekhavan, Charentsavan, Yeghvard, Tsaghkadzor, as well as 5  communities Gegharkunik - Sevan, Vardenis, Gavar, Martuni and  Chambarak, as well as cover all the communities of Gegharkunik.

The 2 million grant of the E5P fund, which will complement the EBRD  loan of 2 million euros, will be used to co-finance marshalling  yards, purchase lorries for the collection and transportation of  garbage, garbage cans and other equipment and supplies. As a result,  the total budget of the program is 11 million euros. The funds  provided will assist in the construction of a garbage landfill of  solid domestic waste based on the use of modern management mechanisms  that envisage the collection of waste in the territories of  municipalities and their removal. The program will solve many social  and environmental problems of the local population.

To remind, within the framework of the program it is planned to build  the first landfill in Armenia in accordance with European standards,  which will be located in the city of Hrazdan in Kotayk region, which  will also serve the cities of Abovyan, Byureghavan, Yeghvard,  Tsakhkadzor, Nor Hachn, Charentsavan, and also Sevan city of  Gegharkunik region. The construction of a new landfill will make it  possible to establish a modern solid waste management system in the  region and to collect garbage in accordance with international  standards. The total cost of the project for the construction of a  new landfill will be around 8 million euros.

The E5P is a multi-donor fund that promotes energy efficiency  programs aimed at improving energy efficiency and conservation in the  Eastern Partnership countries. The main objective of the initiative  is to use grants in addition to loans that are allocated to community  energy efficiency and conservation programs, such as restoration of  water supply and drainage systems, management of solid domestic  waste, street lighting.

The agreement on Armenia's participation in the Eastern European  Partnership for Energy Efficiency and the Environment (E5P) was  signed between the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development  (EBRD) and the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Armenia on  March 17, 2015. The entry fee for Armenia's participation in the Fund  was 1 million euros. E5P donors are the EU countries, Iceland,  Norway, Ukraine, USA, as well as Armenia, Georgia and Moldova.  Contributions are then used, in particular, to implement schemes to  raise funds at national levels and from international financial  institutions, in particular the EBRD, the EIB, the World Bank Group.