Introduction   Armenia is a beautiful country, we have many assets, but we also have a problem with waste But waste is a problem that we can deal with, but will take time. We will not be able to change overnight. The Government of the Republic of Armenia is committed to changing the way we manage our waste, and has been assisted by the EU to begun the process. Over the past 5 months, a team of International Experts from the European Union has been working in Armenia, with local experts, to assist in dealing with the problem of waste. We all produce waste. From our houses and apartments blocks, we throw away about 1.5 million tonnes of waste every year Each of us produces about 180 kg of waste every year. It is almost all sent to landfill. In Western Europe, where each person produces approximately much effort is placed on waste regulation, and the obligations of the people, to achieve sustainable waste management, that is ensuring that our actions today do not badly affect the environment for our children and grandchildren. In Armenia, that philosophy of waste regulation is not well established, but has begun. For Armenia, the main objectives of improved waste management should be to Improve the laws and regulations on waste to improve waste collection systems, Improve collection systems so that waste is collected more effectively, and efficiently Improve environmental protection by improving the landfills, and Encourage private businesses to establish recycling industries for recovering objects from the waste that have a value, such as plastics. A fundamental problem is money. Sustainable waste management costs money, and is only attainable when all of the costs of managing waste are taken into account. In Armenia, disposal of waste is, effectively free of charge. There is no cost to use a landfill, either than the environmental tax. It is necessary,m therefore, to take into account the true cost of waste, including the cost of waste in the production of materials and consumer products, The management of those materials when they become waste, and the effects on the environment of emissions to both air and water, both in producing those materials that eventually become waste, and the product when it is disposed of.

REDUCE WASTE PRODUCTION RE-USE WASTE PRODUCTS CONSUMPTION REDUCE WASTE PRODUCTION RE-USE WASTE PRODUCTS RECYCLE WHAT CANNOT BE RE-USED RECOVER VALUE In the UK, Holland, Germany and the other EU states, improvement in waste management focuses on the basic principles of the 4 R’s Reduce Re-use Re-cycle Recover This is called the waste hierarchy These principles are used to try to reduce the impact of the population of Western Europe on the environment. Western Europe already has very high standards of waste disposal, and so the focus is on reducing the consumption of materials and resources by reducing our waste production. In Armenia, waste recycling is already practiced – and that is seen in the composition of the waste stream – most Armenian waste is either plastics or organic waste. Recycling may be informal in Armenia, but that does not mean that it is not effective. However, as Armenia develops, it needs to avoid making the mistakes of Western Europe and America, by being aware of the need for sustainable waste management at an early stage. This is the process the EUI project has tried to begin in Armenia. FINAL DISPOSAL

We have all seen waste on our streets These are examples that we have seen during our time in Armenia. They are common sights. Waste affects everyone – and ultimately our environment. The photographs show waste being collected, and what happens when waste is not collected, or not collected frequently. The last photograph shows where waste is disposed of – if not in our street!

Reduce Is it possible to adopt the 4R’s in Armenia? Can we Reduce our consumption? We have to ask ourselves, every time we buy a product Is the manufacturer selling us something we do not need? Is there too much packaging? Is this a use-once and throw away product? Is there a re-usable alternative? The re-usable may cost more – but it may be more economic in the longer term, and may be better for the environment.

Re-use What can we do to re-use our waste? Look at the worst examples of waste in our environment. What do we see the most? Plastic – bags and bottles. Every shop offers a plastic bag when you buy your groceries – sometimes a bag for only one small item When we arrive at home, we throw the bag away – so now it becomes waste. We have to ask Did we need the bag at all? Can we re-use the bag – next time I go shopping, take the same bag? Would it be better for the environment to use a bag that can be used over and over again – just like my mother or grandmother did before plastic bags became so common? If I buy mineral water Should I buy my water in a plastic bottle which cannot be re-used, or Is the water available in a glass bottle which can be re-filled and re-used? Why do the water companies sell water in plastic bottles? Because it saves them the costs of collecting the bottles, cleaning them and re-filling them Because they weigh less and are cheaper to transport, so the water may be cheaper when you buy it The plastic bottle manufacturers are keen to make the bottles because the water bottling companies are willing to use them, and They do not have to pay the costs of the eventual disposal. How many people use throw away batteries in our CD players, radios, calculators and cameras? We can use rechargeable batteries and these are better for the environment. Rechargeable batteries can be used many times.

Recycle What is recycling? Recycling is taking a material which is now a waste and turning it in to another product, which has a value Already, we have seen people taking metals, glass bottles and paper from the waste – this is very good The metals are turned into new metal The bottles are cleaned and re-filled Paper is burned in the winter for fuel These are easy materials to recycle – others may be more difficult Plastics are difficult to make, but have a high energy value. Many plastics are recyclable – but only in specialist factories, and there are none in Armenia, or Eastern Europe. So, recycling plastics in Armenia at the moment is difficult and too expensive. Approximately 80% of the waste in Armenia is organic – food and garden waste. This can be recycled by composting.

Recover What does ‘Recover’ mean? Recovery is the last option. It is not possible to produce ‘zero waste’ We will always produce something Whose consumption cannot be reduced That cannot be re-used, and Cannot be recycled The final option is recovery. Recovery is difficult to define, but it could be the recovery of the energy value in waste, for example. Energy can be recovered by burning waste, and is very popular in some Western European countries (e.g Holland and Denmark) In some Western European countries it is very unpopular (in the UK and Ireland for example). There is no certainty about the environmental damage that burning waste may produce. Burning plastics may release unacceptable levels of some harmful gases, such as dioxins, into the environment. It is possible to burn plastic without unacceptable emissions, but the process must be very closely regulated and controlled. Burning plastics does allow their energy value to be recovered, and this may be used to heat areas of cities, and also to generate electricity. If both the heat and the electricity can be used, then approximately 70% of the energy locked in plastics can be recovered by burning. The disposal of plastic by burning is a very emotive issue, and owned which needs to be considered very carefully b because of the possible environmental impacts of the burning is not done properly. This is why recovery is further down the waste hierarchy and why reducing consumption is at the top. It is better not to produce waste than to have to dispose of waste.