Meeting on Regional Waste Management Plan and Sustainable Public Procurement in Kakheti Region

On October 7, 2022, a meeting took place in the conference hall of the Hotel Ambassadori Kachreti to present the regional municipal waste management plan developed for Kakheti region, also to discuss sustainable public procurement practices in the waste management sector based on the experience of Sweden. The meeting was organized by the Georgian Society of Natural Explorers “Orchis” (GSNE “Orchis”) and the Sweden waste management Association of Five Municipalities Gästrike återvinnare in the frames of the Keep Georgia Tidy Project funded by the Government of Sweden.

The meeting was opened by the chairman of the GSNE “Orchis”, Dr. Mariam Kimeridze. The meeting was attended by Deputy State Attorney of Kakheti Region – Mr. Platon Kalmakhelidze, Deputy Director at Solid Waste Management Company of Georgia – Mr. Nikoloz Baramia, Head of the Waste Management Policy Department of the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture of Georgia – Ms. Kristine Vardanashvili, Head of programs of Georgian representation of Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency – Ms. Khatuna Zaldastanishvili; also, the mayors and their deputies of all eight municipalities of the Kakheti region, the persons responsible for the procurement process, the working group established for the preparation of the regional waste management plan for Kakheti region within the framework of this project, the team of the GSNE “Orchis” and the international experts of Gästrike återvinnare Mr. Per-Olof Hallberg and Mr. Michael Kazmierczak.

Greetings were delivered by: Mr. Platon Kalmakhelidze, Mr. Nikoloz Baramia, Ms. Khatuna Zaldastanishvili and Ms. Kristine Vardanashvili. Mr. Platon Kalmakhelidze expressed his appreciation to the project donors and invited guests for their cooperation, for the work done and for supporting the Kakheti region.

The purpose of the meeting was to present the final draft of the Kakheti region municipal waste management plan to local government representatives, including members of the working group that participated in the development of this document, as well as to discuss sustainable public procurement practices based on the Swedish experience in waste management sector in the context of a regional waste management plan in Kakheti region.

The final draft of the regional waste management plan was presented by the Swedish international expert participating in the Keep Georgia Tidy Project and by the waste management expert of the GSNE “Orchis” – Ms. Khatuna Chikviladze. In addition, the Swedish expert Mr. Michael Kazmierczak discussed the practice of sustainable procurement in the field of waste management based on the Swedish experience. Sweden is one of the world-leading nations in this area, therefore, using the Swedish model of sustainable public procurement with the inter-municipal cooperation can be useful for the municipalities of Kakheti in Georgia in the context of regional cooperation in the waste management sector.

The meeting, took place on October 7 this year, was preceded by 8 municipal and 1 regional meetings in all eight municipalities of Kakheti region, 2 regional meetings in 2020, 2 regional meetings in 2021 and 3 regional meetings in 2022 held by GSNE “Orchis” with the participation of the working group, international and local experts. Separately, it is worth noting the event dedicated to the presentation of the regional waste management plan (final draft) for the Kakheti region, which was attended by Ms. Carin Jämtin, Director-General of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), Mr. Ulrik Tideström – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Sweden to Georgia, Mr. Erik Illes – Head of Development Cooperation/Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Sweden to Georgia, and representatives of the Government of Georgia.

The Kakheti Regional Municipal Waste Management Plan was developed with the involvement of relevant stakeholders based on a participatory approach. To that end, a working group was established, which included representatives of all municipalities of the Kakheti region. The activities of the working group are coordinated by the governor’s office with the involvement of international and national experts.

At this stage, a final draft of the regional waste management plan has been prepared, which covers a 5-year period (2023-2027). The final version of this document will be discussed with the population, public hearings will be organized, the plan will be finalized taking into account the comments and suggestions of the public. In addition, before adoption, the Regional Municipal Waste Management Plan will be updated in accordance with relevant legislative amendments and updating of documents on National Waste Management Strategy.

The development of a regional municipal waste management plan will contribute significantly to the implementation of a modern waste management system in Kakheti.

The meeting on the municipal waste management plan for the Kakheti region was organized by GSNE “Orchis” and the Sweden waste management Association of Five Municipalities Gästrike återvinnare in the frames of the Keep Georgia Tidy Project funded by the Government of Sweden, which is implemented by the GSNE “Orchis” in close cooperation with the Ministries of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Regional Development and Infrastructure, Education and Science, as well as the Solid Waste Management Company of Georgia and the Environmental Information and Education Centre.