Armenia has now begun operating its first and only sanitary landfill that meets international standards, located in Hrazdan community.
The landfill and its infrastructure cover an area of 25 hectares. The currently operating landfill cell, previously used as a clay quarry, is lined with a geomembrane layer to prevent leachate from contaminating the environment. It is equipped with a leachate collection system and gas extraction wells, which eliminate the risk of spontaneous combustion and landfill fires.
Approximately 150 tons of waste are delivered daily to the new Hrazdan landfill from all settlements in Gegharkunik Region's consolidated communities of Chambarak, Sevan, and Gavar, as well as from Kotayk Region's Tsaghkadzor, Hrazdan, and Charentsavan communities. By the summer of 2026, the Hrazdan sanitary landfill is expected to serve 16 consolidated communities, along with all of their settlements.
EcoLur's filming crew conducted a site visit to the landfill. The facility is fenced and monitored by surveillance cameras. Operations continue uninterrupted: heavy machinery compacts the waste within the cell so it can be covered with soil; arriving garbage trucks are registered and weighed, then proceed for unloading, after which they must be washed before exiting the site. The landfill also receives separately collected recyclables (plastic, paper, metal, and glass packaging), which undergo secondary sorting for subsequent sale. These segregated recyclables are currently delivered from Sevan Town, where—with funding from Sweden and technical support from AUA’s Acopian Center for the Environment—Sevan Municipality has introduced a new source-separated waste collection service. As part of the program, the community received 1,680 sorting bins and a waste collection truck, and awareness campaigns have been conducted to promote proper waste sorting.
The Hrazdan sanitary landfill was built under Kotayk and Gegharkunik Solid Waste Management Program. The €14.8 million project was implemented in cooperation between the Government of Armenia and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The landfill is intended for 25 years of operation. For its management, the communities of Kotayk and Gegharkunik Regions established “Kotayk and Gegharkunik Solid Waste Management” LLC, which is responsible for waste collection in both regions and for operating the landfill. The company’s director, Sergey Hambardzumyan, highlighted the importance of working closely with communities so that waste reaches the landfill already sorted. “Recyclables collected in separate bins undergo secondary sorting here. The secondary-sorted materials are sold through auctions. Currently this process is implemented only in Sevan. In Hrazdan, Tsaghkadzor, and Charentsavan, we have started separate cardboard collection through our own initiative, and we are trying to introduce this culture as well,” said Hambardzumyan.
He noted that waste collection requires substantial financial resources, and revenues do not cover the costs. Community budgets subsidize the majority of expenses, with part collected from residents and another portion from legal entities.
Head of the Waste Collection Department Emil Hakobyan stated that roughly one ton of cardboard waste and around 400 kg of plastic are collected daily. Once sorted, an auction is announced, and recycling companies purchase the materials.
According to Hambardzumyan, the introduction of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system will improve landfill management by bringing in “new players” responsible for sorting and recycling specific waste streams, thereby reducing the amount of waste deposited at the landfill. “If we can extend the landfill’s operational lifespan by one, two, or five years, it will benefit everyone. In the long term, our goal is to reduce mixed waste volumes as much as possible. We are ready to participate as a ‘player’—that is, to collect recyclables and carry out secondary sorting at least in Kotayk and Gegharkunik. Our aim is to become a model regional operator in waste management,” he said.
He added that based on studies, up to 60% of municipal waste generated in Kotayk and Gegharkunik provinces is organic. He expressed hope that with support from the government and international partners, a biogas facility could also be established, which would nearly halve the volume of waste disposed at the landfill.
In Europe, sanitary landfills have long been part of integrated waste management centers, where infrastructure includes sorting facilities, biogas plants for producing electricity and heat, composting units for green waste, and refuse-derived fuel production for cement plants or incineration facilities. These are not merely landfills but complex waste management hubs.
With support from “CEE Bankwatch Network international network,” EcoLur’s team visited Bulgaria to observe best practices in solid waste management in Sofia and Blagoevgrad.
In these cities, EU-funded waste management facilities enable maximum recycling and diversion of waste from landfills. Non-recyclable waste is processed into dry fuel for cement factories or incineration plants. In Blagoevgrad, a specialized sorting line also separates soil, stones, and leaves, which are shredded, composted, and later used as landfill cover material.
Armenia is moving slowly toward European-standard waste management, but the road ahead is long—beginning with primary source separation and progressing toward the development of appropriate infrastructure.
This material was created within “Waste Policy Armenia” (WPA) program, funded by Sweden and implemented by the AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, with financial support from Sweden and technical support from AUA.
The views, conclusions, and opinions presented belong to the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the program, the American University of Armenia, or the Government of Sweden.
November 26, 2025 at 16:06