One of the main obstacles in the environmental sector of Georgia is lack of proper waste management practices, from the collection of waste to its disposal in landfills and recycling. To overcome these obstacles, WMTR will work with local and regional authorities on design of an integrated waste management system in line with international sanitation standards that encompasses efficient waste collection and transportation plans to landfills, separation and sorting of recyclable materials from solid waste, and developing linkages between waste collection and recycling companies to ensure a consistent supply of recycling materials by the landfill waste separation service. Additionally, the project will work with private sector recycling companies to build their capacity through improving marketing, product quality, and operations.
Solid Waste Management Sector Assessment
In June and July 2014 WMTR engaged an international solid waste management expert for assessment of a solid waste management sector. Over the course of three weeks, the expert worked closely with WMTR team and local stakeholders extensively traveling to the regions to collect and analyze the information. The Assessment Report on Solid Waste Management Collection and Recycling Systems that resulted from this activity provided a detailed picture of existing solid waste management practices and will serve as a foundation for shaping future program activities.
The Assessment showed that, in Georgia, solid waste collection is mostly carried out by municipality-owned cleaning companies. Despite the existing trash collection services, transportation cost prohibits cleaning companies from collecting garbage in remote areas. As a result, rural locations are severely underserved. In some municipalities as much as 80% of the area is not serviced. Aside from the transportation cost, low technical capacity and insufficient municipal funding can be added to the list. The quality of solid waste management services is hampered not only by the lack of equipment but also by low service fee revenues, limitations of the centralized funding mechanism, and poor solid waste management standards.
In line with the Assessment Report on Solid Waste Collection and Recycling Systems, WMTR will provide training and technical assistance on the development of Solid Waste Management Plans (SWMP) for target municipalities and cleaning companies. The SWMP will cover all elements of WMTR’s four components.
