Project Details

In 2014, ICMA was awarded a four-year Georgia Waste Management Technologies in Regions Activity (WMTR) under the USAID-funded CityLinks™ program to assist the Government of Georgia in designing adequate waste management and recycling systems in the Kakheti and Adjara regions.

The focus of WMTR was to work with providers of waste collection and recycling and to increase public awareness of services offered and best practices for waste disposal. Through the project, ICMA worked with the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia (MRDI) and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia, as well as municipalities in the target regions to collaboratively analyze waste management assessments and best practices to prepare waste management strategies for Kakheti municipalities in line with the new requirements of the national laws. These strategies emphasized timeliness, affordability, sustainability, and environmental impact. WMTR engaged with local businesses in both regions to build their capacity to meet the needs of the local populations and to increase quality and perceived service quality by residents.

WMTR also worked with local, regional and national authorities to assist in the development of a proper waste collection tariff that supports the maintenance and operation of the waste management system. To further support and institutionalize these practices, WMTR provided extensive technical assistance, training, and national workshops and seminars to share experiences and best practices.

Beyond assisting with the development of municipal waste management plans for Kakheti and Adjara, WMTR supported the Georgian government with writing by-laws on the Construction, Operation, Closure and After-Care of Landfills, as well as Rules of Collection and Treatment of Municipal Waste

Also of note, the WMTR team launched a pilot project in five villages of Telavi municipality to demonstrate the benefits of integrated solid waste management (ISWM) practices via the provision of technical assistance, co-financing support, and the establishment of an ISWM system, as well as to raise the awareness of local governmental structures and the public at large. The WMTR program also introduced the country’s first public waste separation scheme in Goodwill Hypermarket and Tbilisi Marriott Hotel.