“Clean Up Georgia” Project (Phase III) Waste Management Problems in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Region
Georgian Society of Nature Explorers “Orchis” organized meetings in Zugdidi, Khobi, Tsalenjikha, Chkhorotsku, Martvili, Abasha, Senaki and Mestia Municipalities as well as Poti City Hall, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Region, where the following characteristic waste management issues have been revealed:
1) Issues related to the implementation of waste separation, and need for governmental support in this endeavour;
2) Outdates fleet of waste trucks and insufficient amount of waste containers in the municipalities, and respectively issues with the delivery of clean-up services;
3) Dumpsites present in the region;
4) Need for the implementation of waste separation (only cardboard boxes are collected fragmentally in some municipalities);
5) Cases when waste burnt in open air and difficulties to enforce respective legal liabilities;
6) Issues with homeless dogs: they eat waste are potential vectors of infectious disease;
7) Pollution of the r. Abasha with waste;
8) Need for capacity building of supervision authorities in municipalities regarding law enforcement in the waste management sector;
9) Difficulties to collect clean-up fees from population due to their low paying capacity;
10) Lack of information about the management of hazardous domestic, specific (asbestos) and medical wastes;
11) Lack of information about waste recycling technologies and operational recycling plants;
12) Necessity to carry out information campaign to raise awareness among wider population;
13) Lack of information among NGO sector about donors and fund raising opportunities to improve waste management system;
14) Need to develop waste management plan and necessity to ensure engagement of NGOs and local population;
15) The necessity to frequently discuss waste management issues and their solution ways in local and national media.
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 .
