Integrated Solid Waste Management Kutaisi - Project Newsletter # 2- May 2017 News ევროკავშირი საქართველოსთვის The European Union for Georgia SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT Ministry of Regional Development and COMPANY OF GEORGIA Infrastructure of Georgia Project nanced by KfW and Government of Georgia and supported with funding by Project implemented by consortium leaders PEM Consult and ERM Landll Operators the European Union Understanding the need for good planning Project Newsletter #2 Starting from November 2016, the team of the project “Inte- Imereti region journalists and media grated Solid Waste Management Kutasisi – Accompanying learn about the new regional waste management system Page 2 Measures Consulting (AMC) Services” is hosting a series of training courses for all municipalities in Imereti and Racha- Safer and healthier working Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti Regions. In our interview with conditions for over 200 Mr. René Boesten, the team leader of the project, explains the landll sta Page 2 training programme Municipal Waste Manage- ment Plan Training - mid Mr. Boesten, what is the main landll. A third priority is to set up fair term review Page 3 purpose and reason for this training and manageable systems for the OHS and EMS commitment programme? waste service charge that citizens (and of SWMCG Page 4 In accordance with the Waste Code of hotels etc.) have to pay for the collection The waste management Georgia, the municipalities have to and safe disposal of waste. system in Georgia - Main develop municipal waste management Separate collection and recycling will responsibilities of the involved plans in order to better manage and become obligatory in 2019. Are the parties Page 4 control municipal waste collection, and municipalities prepared? SWMCG website in future also recycling. Since waste Some actions are already ongoing, such relaunched Page 5 collection (municipal responsibility) and as in Kutaisi to collect plastic bottles. In SWMCG in the regions Imereti nal waste disposal (responsibility of general, no, municipalities are not and Racha-Lechkhumi and prepared. There is a growing understand- Kvemo Svaneti - current status SWMCG) are strongly connected, it was and future Page 5 deemed logical and ecient that we, as ing that separate collection can reduce AMC consultants for the SMWCG assist the costs of land lling, there is also a The new landll Page 6+7 the municipalities in Imereti and Racha- growing understanding that introducing Lechkhumi and Kemo Svaneti Regions , separate collection is not just a matter of our project region, in preparing these containers; it is even more depending on perform better than others, that is plans good public awareness raising with long normal, one or two still don’t see the need What are the most critical waste man- term actions. BUT, there is one very for such a plan, so they dropped out. Also agement issues for the municipalities in critical issue: the recycling chain can only that is to be expected. In the next phase, the coming years? work if the volumes are large enough. the working groups in the municipalities We are now mid-term the training Recycling factories need a continuous have to further develop the objectives program and we see clearly what the ow of huge quantities in order to work into concrete actions and with those municipalities deem their main priorities. protable. Achieving such volumes can proposals for actions, engage in discus- First of all improvement of services: for only be done by collecting recyclable sions with the stakeholders of their this, new equipment is needed. The material from several municipalities. If municipality - such as private business, municipalities recognize, that the plans several municipalities will cooperate and tourism industry, NGOs and local initia- are an important tool to determine and sell their materials directly to the tive groups, schools and youth. It is justify what equipment is needed. With recycling companies, they may be able to essential for eective implementation this comes the need to dierentiate receive a good price. If they don't succeed that all important groups of the commu- between services provided to residents to cooperate, the price that they will get nity are taken on board while making the and services provided to others such as from intermediate collectors (private or plan: this makes them co-owners and hotels, oces etc. that generate waste state companies) might be considerably thus more committed. For us, as project comparable to household waste. We lower. team, the main challenges are, to make don’t want residents to pay for the waste Could you please summarize the main municipalities understand i) the princi- from tourists! Second priority is to achievements and focus of training ples of waste management, ii) the minimize the quantity of waste that during the nal phase? importance of involving the citizens and has to go to the landll. Composting of Till now, that is June 2017, we have the community and iii) the need for good green waste from gardens and parks, and worked with the municipalities on the planning. home-composting of organic household main principles of strategic planning, on waste is the easiest step. Separate the actual status of waste collection in collection of recyclables such as glass, their municipality and on setting objec- paper and plastics is another important tives for their plans. Some municipalities possibility to reduce waste going to the Page 1 Integrated Solid Waste Management Kutaisi - Project Newsletter # 2- June 2017 Imereti region journalists and media learn about the new News regional waste management system Project“You should do more often during the coming decade. The seminar was organised jointly by seminars like this, in this region In 2013 SWMCG started to take over the German company PEM Consult and also in other regions of Georgia.” responsibility for the waste disposal and SWMCG , within the project This comment of one journalist sites and the development of new “Integrated Solid Waste Management summarizes how the seminar about the landll infrastructure according to System – Kutaisi” “Integrated Solid Waste Management modern standards and Mrs. Chikviladze Kutaisi” was appreciated by most of the gave an overview about the company’s participants. 12 journalists from all achievements since then. For the important TV stations and other majority of the participants this was regional media of Imereti region completely new information. participated in this seminar from 13 A visit to the Samtredia municipal to14 September in Tskaltubo. rehabilitated landll, which is run by Discussion on Samtredia landll The representative of the Solid Waste SWMG, demonstrated in a practical Management Company of Georgia way how rehabilitated landlls are (SWMCG), Khatuna Chikviladze, operated. presented the National Waste Manage- One participant concluded after the ment Strategy 2016 - 2030 and the visit: “You should organise frequently “Waste Management Code”. This new tours for citizens for showing them how regulatory framework lays out how the landlls are operated and what kind of waste management system in all measures are taken to protect the regions of Georgia will be changed environment.” News directly from the landll Safer and healthier working conditions for over 200 landll sta The project “Integrated Solid Waste Management Kutaisi - Consulting Services Overall Situation on Work and for Accompanying Measures” conducted a training on Occupational Health and Health Safety in Georgia Safety (OHS) for the Solid Waste Management Company of Georgia . The landll managers of all nine regional oces of the company were trained by the experts of the project team for ve days from March 27 to 31 2017 in Tbilisi. Issues related to health and safety at work are regulated by the During the training the participants 1. A guideline will be developed which “Labor Code of Georgia”, but the learned how to assess hazards and risks gives clear indications for the devel- country does not have a separate on landll sites, develop prevention opment of OHS Annual Action strategies and plan mitigation activi- Plans. During the coming months Law on Health and Safety at Work. ties. The latest Georgian regulations the 2018 Annual Action Plan will be Absence of an ecient monitoring and international best practices were drafted. mechanism of workplace health considered in the design of the training 2. For verifying and monitoring the and safety is frequently cited by course. correct implementation of the new the trade unions and human rights For implementing the new safety and rules and measures on the ground, a NGOs as one of the problems. health rules into the daily work of the OHS Monitoring System framework Frequent accidents resulting in over 200 regional sta of the company will be implemented. injuries and even fatalities are and improving their working condi- 3. The existing Personal Protective reported by the Georgian Trade tions the following concrete steps were Equipment (PPE) on the Company’s Union Confederation (GTUC). identied and agreed with Mr. Giorgi landlls will be checked and brought Putting in place an eective Shukhosvili, General Director of the in line with the new technical speci- monitoring is among the commit- SWMCG: cations. ments the country has to meet under the EU-Georgia Association Agreement. The training participants after examination, together with Mr. Giorgi Shukhoshvili, General Director SWMCG (7th from left) and Mr. René Boesten, Team Leader of the project “Integrated Solid Waste Management Kutaisi - Consulting Services for Accompanying Measures” (7th from right). Page 2 Mr. Boesten, what is the main landll. A third priority is to set up fair purpose and reason for this training and manageable systems for the programme? waste service charge that citizens (and In accordance with the Waste Code of hotels etc.) have to pay for the collection Georgia, the municipalities have to and safe disposal of waste. develop municipal waste management Separate collection and recycling will plans in order to better manage and become obligatory in 2019.