Ecolur is monitoring Yerevan’s Green City Action Plan (GCAP), which is one of the initiatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) under its Green Cities program. The GCAP is a strategic document outlining green actions to be implemented through 2030 and was adopted by the Yerevan City Council in 2017.
The results of monitoring conducted under “Waste” component of this document were presented at the roundtable titled “Yerevan at Crossroads of Solutions to Nubarashen Landfill Problem: Which Is the Right Path?” by Victoria Burnazyan, Deputy President of Ecolur Informational NGO.
According to her presentation, Yerevan has not yet achieved the key targets set out in the GCAP: the capital still lacks a sanitary landfill, waste sorting and recycling rates remain extremely low, and the problem of the Nubarashen landfill continues to remain on the agenda.
The representatives of the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Armenia, the Yerevan Municipality, and civil society organizations participated in the roundtable.
Citing a 2024 World Bank report, Victoria Burnazyan noted that approximately 720,000 tons of municipal solid waste are generated annually in settlements across Armenia, and according to forecasts, this figure will reach around 820,000 tons in the near future. Around 440,000 tons of waste are deposited annually at the Nubarashen landfill solely—over half of all waste generated in the country.
According to a study conducted by the American University of Armenia, the largest share of the waste composition consists of organic waste—about 57 percent. Packaging waste, including glass, plastic, and paper, accounts for approximately 25 percent, while residual waste makes up less than 15 percent. Yerevan still has no solutions for organic waste: it is not sorted, neither biogas nor compost is produced from it, and it is sent to the landfill, where it becomes a source of gas emissions and spontaneous fires.
One of the key tools for addressing waste management challenges, according to Victoria Burnazyan, could be the introduction of an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system. A draft EPR law has already been developed. Once the EPR system is implemented, companies whose manufactured or imported products generate specific types of waste after use will be required to assume responsibility for the sorting, treatment, and recycling of that waste—either independently or through Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs).
The introduction of the EPR system, according to Victoria Burnazyan, would reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills, stimulate the development of the recycling industry, support the transition to a circular economy, and contribute to reducing public health risks.
The roundtable was organized within the framework of “New Challenges for Yerevan’s Development and Opportunities to Overcome Them” project implemented in cooperation with the CEE Bankwatch International Network.
To be continued.
December 23, 2025 at 16:46