“Clean Up Georgia” Project (Phase III) Waste Management Problems in Racha-Lechkhumi-Kvemo Svaneti Region
Georgian Society of Nature Explorers “Orchis” organized meetings in Oni, Ambrolauri, Tsageri and Lentekhi Municipalities, where the following waste management issues that are characteristic to the region have been revealed:
1) Some of municipalities in the region (e.g. Lentekhi) do not have authority responsible on the control of environmental protection/ pollution (e.g. supervision body) and this hinders law enforcement;
2) Presence of historical industrial pollution sources (arsenic containing industrial waste) and environmental (the r. Tskhenistskali) pollution as a result;
3) Lack of information on donor organizations and financial institutions that support waste management sector;
4) Lack of information about the construction of a new regional landfills. Specifically, on cost efficient solution for the disposal of waste originated in Lentekhi Municipality at Imereti Regional Landfill;
5) Necessity to enhance municipal capacities in terms of project development and management;
6) Lack of contact information on waste recycling plants (e.g. plastic, paper and glass recycling);
7) Need to ensure availability of waste bins for tourists and local population;
8) Issues related to the disposal of construction waste;
9) Absence of effective methodology for the calculation of household waste management fee in the municipality, problems with the delivery of clean-up services and law ability of local population to pay waste fee;
10) Problems related to food safety (quality of food products sold in shops) and disposal of animal waste (meat, cattle waste);
11) Issues arising from the absence of waste separation system in the municipalities (open air combustion of waste by local population, uncontrolled movement of cattle in administrative centres and environmental pollution);
12) Lack of communication between the national/ local government and population regarding waste management issues;
13) Low public awareness about waste management topics; The need to engage and respectively inform local population;
14) The need for information campaigns, especially in the tourist season (summer).
The project “Clean Up Georgia” is being implemented by a consortium of NGOs: Georgian Society of Nature Explorers “Orchis”, “Greens Movement of Georgia/Friends of the Earth-Georgia” and “Raising of Ecological Awareness and Waste Management” with the financial support of the Government of Sweden, with the support of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia, in cooperation with the Ltd “Solid Waste Management Company of Georgia”.
