Waste Management Technology in Regions
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Waste Management Technology in Regions Phase II - WMTR II Final Report Period: March, 2017 – March, 2020 MAY, 2020 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. USAID Cooperative Agreement AID-114-A-17-00002 Prepared for: Mission Environmental Officer Economic Growth Office USAID | Caucasus Prepared by: CENN 27, Betlemi Street 0105, Tbilisi Georgia The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. Final Report March 16, 2017 – March 15, 2020 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................................................... 4 Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... 5 Program Background .................................................................................................................. 6 Main Assumptions, Problems and Barriers ................................................................................ 7 Significant Achievements of the Program .................................................................................. 8 Component 1: Implementation of an Integrated Waste Management System ...................... 10 Component 2: Private Sector-led Recycling ............................................................................. 22 Component 3: Waste Management Strategy and Tariff Policy ................................................ 41 Component 4: Communication and Outreach ......................................................................... 49 Report on PMP Indicators ........................................................................................................ 96 Final Report March 16, 2017 – March 15, 2020 3 ABBREVIATIONS CBO Community Based Organization CENN Caucasus Environmental NGO Network EBC Environmental Businesses Committee EU European Union EYP European Youth Parliament FB Facebook GoG Government of Georgia GWMA Georgian Waste Management Association ISET International School of Economics at Tbilisi State University MoU Memorandum of Understanding MoEPA Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia MoES Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia NWMCG National Solid Waste Management Company of Georgia NGO Non-Governmental Organization NEA National Environmental Agency PMP performance monitoring plan WMCG Waste Management Code of Georgia PMP Performance Monitoring Plan 4Rs Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover USAID United States Agency for International Development WMTR II Waste Management Technology in Regions, Phase II Final Report March 16, 2017 – March 15, 2020 4 Executive Summary Over its three-year duration, the Waste Management Technology in Regions, phase II program (WMTR II) assisted the Government of Georgia to improve the waste management system in the county and make it comply with international standards. The support included the development of a legislative framework via participatory and inclusive approaches to policy-making, as well as assistance in implementing the requirements of the legislation to establish modern waste management practices, improve natural resource management of biologically significant areas and building the capacity of various stakeholders. Due to the program’s support, 19 waste management plans for municipalities and 3 waste management plans for protected areas have been developed and adopted by the government. Furthermore, the program helped to develop 3 regulations on Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) and addressed the challenges posed to biodiversity by rampant littering and ground water pollution by closing 10 illegal dumpsites in the project’s target regions. WMTR II also launched a nationwide campaign, Keep Georgia Beautiful, to preserve Georgia’s biodiversity and maintain a clean environment through long-term partnerships with the public and private sectors. The program helped Georgia strengthen emerging recycling businesses to improve their business operations and increase sales through technical support and sub-grants. As a result, waste aggregating and recycling companies – all of which are microenterprises – improved their supply chains and accessed raw materials more easily by establishing strong business connections with large waste generators, optimizing recyclable waste collection schemes and being involved in public waste recycling systems established by the program. WMTR II also supported companies in improving management practices and business performance by helping them comply with legislative requirements, improving financial systems and marketing processes, as well as introducing product quality standards. Moreover, the sub-grants disbursed to 5 recycling companies enables them to upgrade equipment, increase their production capacity and significantly improve the quality of recycled products. Furthermore, the WMTR II program forged a new Public Private Partnership (PPP) in waste separation and recycling which introduced the country’s first public waste separation schemes. As of 2020 with the program’s support, Georgia already has 47 waste separation corners located in public places, where citizens can deposit their separated waste - paper, plastic bottles, glass, and aluminium - to be recycled. Private companies collect the separated waste and provide it to recycling companies. In addition, 28 schools in the regions of Georgia started paper waste separation and various institutions started waste separation on their premises. The program focused on making the waste management sector self-reliant via establishing a proper tariff and cost-recovery system and establishing an effective fines system in case of illegal dumping. Moreover, the program succeeded in incorporating a modern course about circular economy in the curriculum of one of the most prestigious universities in Georgia, ISET, as well as built the capacity, educated and raised awareness of different stakeholders to ensure that they are aware of and able to apply proper waste management practices. Final Report March 16, 2017 – March 15, 2020 5 Program Background USAID awarded the Waste Management Technology in Regions, Phase II Program (WMTR II) to CENN on March 16, 2017, under the Cooperative Agreement AID-114-A-17-00002. WMTR II contributed to the following USAID development objectives and intermediate and sub-intermediate results: • Development Objective 2 (DO2): “Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Growth” • Intermediate Result 2.3 (IR 2.3): “More Responsible Management and Development of Georgia’s Natural Endowments” • Sub-IR 2.3.3: “Waste Management Improved” The goal of the WMTR II program was to assist the GoG in modernizing the country’s waste management sector and support sustainable development and inclusive economic growth, ensuring responsible management of natural endowments that would minimize adverse impacts from waste on human health and natural resources. The program mainstreamed innovative approaches, applied new technologies, and streamlined strong partnerships, to achieve, sustain and extend set objectives and solve development challenges. WMTR II worked in the regions of Kakheti and Shida Kartli, Adjara AR, and the City of Tbilisi. The program assisted the GoG in implementing the requirements of the National Waste Management Code and the National Waste Management Strategy (2015-2030) and Action Plan (2015-2020) to ensure that modern waste management standards were introduced in the country in line with the EU-Georgia Association Agreement. The WMTR II program consisted of the following components: • Component 1: Implementation of an Integrated Waste Management System • Component 2: Private Sector-Led Recycling • Component 3: Illegal Dumping Penalties and Tariff Policy • Component 4: Public Outreach In accordance with USG and USAID policies, strategies, and approaches, all WMTR II interventions took into account five cross-cutting activities to enhance the program’s results and outcomes: gender, people with disabilities, youth, capacity building, and coordinating with other donor initiatives in the sector. This Final Report covers the period of March 16, 2017 to March 15, 2020. All reports developed by the program were provided to USAID/Georgia. Final Report March 16, 2017 – March 15, 2020 6 Main Assumptions, Problems and Barriers The WMTR II program contended with the following assumptions, problems, and barriers during the reporting period: 1. Lack of capacity at the municipal level to address waste management issues; 2. Lack of financial resources allocated in municipal budgets for waste management; consequently, municipalities’ lack of equipment (i.e. trucks, bins, etc.) required for waste collection and recycling; 3. Weak recycling sector — limited number of recycling companies with limited capacity, resources and geographic coverage, as well as problems with obtaining raw materials; 4. Stakeholders’ lack of capacity and low public awareness about integrated waste management practices, including waste separation, recycling, waste tariff, etc. To address and mitigate the effects these problems and barriers have on the program, WMTR II worked closely with all tiers of government and stakeholders to build their capacities and has been using intensive communication, outreach, and an awareness campaign to promote the best practices in waste management and recycling