How is waste collection carried out in Yerevan, where do recyclable wastes end up, what is the condition of the capital's main landfill, and what work is being done in the field of waste management in Yerevan?
These questions were discussed during a roundtable on “Management of Municipal Solid Waste in Yerevan, Landfills” held at “EcoLur” Press Club. The situation in municipal solid waste management in Yerevan was presented by Gorik Avetisyan, Deputy Head of Environmental Department of Yerevan Municipality.
Waste collection in the capital is carried out by the municipal institution “Yerevan Waste Collection and Sanitary Cleaning,” which replaced the private company “Sanitek” in 2019 when the company and the municipality became involved in legal disputes.
Gorik Avetisyan noted that waste collection is implemented in all 12 administrative districts of the capital using 41 garbage trucks. There are 11,400 trash bins installed at 4,165 locations throughout the city. For recyclable waste, 857 bins have been placed across Yerevan: 249 for paper, 250 for plastic, 229 for aluminium, and 129 for glass. According to Avetisyan, a total of 3,392 tons of waste have been collected and sent for recycling in Yerevan, including 3,009 tons of paper, 230,410 kg of glass, and 153,123 kg of plastic since January 1, 2020. The collected waste is sent for recycling to “Saranist” Company, Sole Proprietor Gevorg Sargsyan, “Neco-Polymer,” and “Paper Trading” Companies.
Since March 2024, plastic waste has been collected and sorted so that plastic subtypes can be sold separately at auction. “We are currently working with two different companies - one accepts PET-type waste, and the other handles PP, HDPE, and LDPE types. Our current partners are facing major challenges as well-for example, the global market price of primary raw materials has dropped, and the depreciation of the local currency in the main export country, Russia, along with the low prices of imported raw materials and products from Iran and Russia,” Gorik Avetisyan said.
Nevertheless, only a tiny percentage of Yerevan’s municipal solid waste is sorted and recycled. The rest-an average of 1,000 to 1,200 tons per day - ends up at the Nubarashen landfill site, just 9-10 km from the city center. This is the largest landfill site in Yerevan, covering 52.3 hectares. It has been in operation since the 1950s and has accumulated about 8 million tons of solid waste to date. The landfill is operated by “Erebuni Cleaning” private company.
Since 2009, greenhouse gas collection and flaring has been carried out over 8 hectares of the landfill area under an agreement between Yerevan Municipality and the Japanese company “Shimizu.” After the contract ended in 2022, the station was transferred free of charge to “New Yerevan Municipal Landfill” company. As a result of the station’s operation, 7,323 tons of greenhouse gas emissions were reduced in 2024.
The Nubarashen landfill site was never designed or constructed according to any recognized standard and does not meet international or any technical, environmental, or sanitary-hygienic norms. It serves solely as a dumping ground. Fires frequently break out there. As a preventive measure, soil covering is periodically implemented.
The closure of Nubarashen landfill site is a high-priority issue. For years, city authorities have discussed building a new landfill. In 2016, Yerevan Municipality signed a contract worth 26 million Euros, including 8 million Euros in loans each from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank, and a 2 million Euro grant from the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P).
In 2024, the contract was canceled. No funds were transferred by investors during this period, and the reasons have not been disclosed. As Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan told EcoLur, a new project is being considered with the World Bank. According to Gorik Avetisyan, the construction of a new sanitary landfill will require $13,366,450 USD, and the closure of the existing Nubarashen landfill site will require $15,608,548 USD.
An expansion of the waste sorting system and the construction of a waste recycling plant are planned.
Participants in the roundtable included Amalya Hambardzumyan, President of “Khazer” NGO, expert Aram Gabrielyan, Knarik Grigoryan, expert from “Armenian Women for Health and a Healthy Environment” and “Khazer” NGO, Dana Vergilyush, Head of “Green Green” Eco-Center, Vahan Gharibyan, Director and Co-founder of “AM-Eska” company, Harutyun Alpetyan, expert at the American University of Armenia’s Acopian Center for the Environment, Artur Chobanyan, Director of Marketing and Development at “Vega” company, Nune Avetisyan, journalist at Public Radio, and the EcoLur team.
The roundtable “Management of Municipal Solid Waste in Yerevan, Landfills” was organized by “EcoLur” Informational NGO within the framework of “Civil Society Becomes an Active Participant in Yerevan’s Green Transition” project, supported People Powered - Global Hub for Participatory Democracy and in cooperation with Yerevan Municipality.
April 29, 2025 at 17:04