SEVAN. – Dafina Gercheva, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative in Armenia and USAID/Armenia staff visited the town of Sevan on July 12 to tour the waste collection and recycling activities of the USAID-UNDP plastic recycling program, which recently installed 140 plastic waste bins in the town and in recreational areas around Lake Sevan. 

Partners met with Deputy Mayor of Sevan Pap Petrosyan and transferred a garbage truck to the municipality for plastic waste collection in the project area.

In order to address Armenia’s environmental challenges, USAID and UNDP launched a joint initiative in March 2011 – the Collection and Reuse of Plastic Refuse (CRPR) project – to improve the quality of potable water sources in Armenia through the collection and recycling of plastic containers. The program also sought to spur private sector investment in the recycling of plastic waste. 

As of June 2012, a total of 1,000 specially marked bins were installed in Vanadzor, Hrazdan, Alaverdi, Sevan, Tsakhkadzor, Ararat, Charentsavan, Artashat, Ashtarak, Berd, Etjmiadzin, Armavir, Sisian and Dilijan, resulting in the recycling of nearly 80 tons of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste.

“UNDP’s support is aimed at creating a better environmental condition for the population. Proper management and recycling of this toxic material is not only urgent from the environmental point of view, but it also carries an essential potential for delivering currently unrealized economic benefits,” said Dafina Gercheva, UN RC/UNDP Resident Representative.  

During the initial phase of the project, UNDP provided special bins for PET waste, balers, and compactors in the target communities for separation of PET bottles and relevant plastic products immediately at the first stage of the waste collection cycle. The project then helped design and implement partnerships between the local authorities responsible for solid waste management and private companies with capacities to buy and recycle the PET waste. An intensive public awareness campaign in the project areas was an important component to inform the general population on the importance of separating the PET waste into the special bins.

Based on the results and proved interest and support of the authorities and community residents, the project plans to expand to other towns of Armenia, including Yerevan, where around 3,000 tons PET waste is still thrown out to landfills each year.