In Yerevan, there are already operating initiatives in the field of waste sorting and recycling; however, their further development depends on public awareness, clear policy decisions, and properly targeted investments. These issues were discussed in November 2025 at the roundtable titled "Yerevan at Crossroads of Solutions for Nubarashen Landfill Problem: Which is Right Path?", held at the Ecolur Press Club.
The roundtable brought together representatives of the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Armenia, the Yerevan Municipality, and civil society organizations.
The event was organized within the framework of “New Challenges for Yerevan’s Development and Opportunities to Overcome Them” project implemented in cooperation with CEE Bankwatch International Network.
During the discussion, Dana Vergilyush, Founder of the Green Green Environmental initiative, spoke about her initiative’s experience and addressed the prospects of constructing a waste recycling plant in Yerevan.
Approximately 30 tons of waste were collected through the Green Green initiative, excluding textile waste in 2024.
Dana Vergilyush also presented the sorting map available on the initiative’s website. Referring to plans to close the Nubarashen landfill, build a new sanitary landfill, and construct a waste recycling plant, she noted that it remains unclear what type of infrastructure is actually planned. In her observation, investors often propose waste incineration projects, despite this being the most dangerous option. “I hope that the people present in this hall understand the full harm of waste incineration and will not allow such projects to be implemented,” she said, emphasizing that incineration not only harms public health but also completely destroys the sorting and recycling system.
A waste incineration plant requires a constant and large volume of waste, which inevitably reduces people’s motivation to sort waste. Dana Vergilyush stressed that incineration would ultimately destroy recycling, as all waste would be directed to a single pathway-burning-which contradicts both environmental protection and sustainable development goals. In her opinion, the future of Yerevan’s waste management system must be built around encouraging sorting, as about 50 percent of waste is organic. Priority should therefore be given to developing composting projects and attracting investors specifically in that direction. According to Dana Vergilyush, recycling enterprises are still not operating at full design capacity and are in need of raw materials. Without public engagement and household-level sorting, it is impossible to build an effective system. “If waste is mixed with organic material, especially in liquid form, separating it later becomes extremely difficult. Clean sorting is the first and most important stage,” she said.
To be continued.
December 24, 2025 at 11:32