By Lia Avagyan
Armenia faces a growing waste management crisis as landfills rapidly fill up, forcing municipalities to confront the difficult problem of allocating new spaces. Over the past two decades, the primary driver of this growth has been packaging and single-use products, which now make up approximately 40% of municipal waste, effectively doubling the burden on waste collection systems.
The waste management model inherited from Soviet times is outdated and inadequate for addressing the changing volume and composition of waste in modern Armenia. Every day, consumers bring home plastic and glass containers, paper or plastic bags, and aluminum containers, which typically end up in landfills mixed with solid household waste instead of being sorted and recycled.
When municipal solid waste (food residues, organic materials) mixes with recyclable materials (plastic, paper, glass, metal) in landfills, it creates environmental, economic, and health problems. In Yerevan alone, each resident generates about 230 kg of waste annually, amounting to approximately 290,000 tons citywide (2023).
Nationwide, Armenia produces around 700,000 tons of solid household waste annually, which is transported to about 300 landfills across the country. Most of these landfills operate in poor conditions, lacking proper monitoring or effective waste collection systems.
The consequences of mixing various types of waste are severe: Organic materials decompose, producing methane and other dangerous gases that lead to spontaneous fires and atmospheric emissions. Food residues contaminate plastic, glass, metal, and paper, making them unsuitable for recycling. Toxic substances like lead or mercury can leak from hazardous waste items such as batteries and electronic devices. Contaminated air, groundwater, and soil damage the environment and threaten human health.
Despite common perception that Armenia doesn’t recycle at all, studies show that as of 2019, more than 20 solid waste recycling companies were operating in the country, including more than 10 organizations recycling paper, at least five companies recycling plastic, three glass recycling facilities, and numerous small and medium-sized enterprises recycling polyethylene.
However, most recycling at landfills is done by informal groups that separate recyclable materials and deliver them to sorting points to earn income. These individuals work in inadequate sanitary conditions, endangering their own and public health. Partial waste sorting systems implemented in some settlements collect no more than 5% of recyclable waste at the source.
Armenia’s government has committed to aligning with EU standards as part of its reform agenda. Under the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), Armenia was scheduled to implement an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system by 2024. According to Lusine Avetisyan, Head of the Strategic Policy Department at the Ministry of the Environment, although the deadlines have not been met, the legislative draft for EPR is in progress. This draft has been developed within the framework of the American University of Armenia’s Acopian Center for the Environment’s four-year “Waste Management Policy in Armenia” program, funded by Sweden.
Under the EPR system, producers such as companies manufacturing plastic bottles, packaging, or electronic devices, would bear responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products, from production until the point when they become waste. In simpler terms, if a consumer buys a plastic bottle, the manufacturer must ensure that after use, it is collected, sorted, and recycled rather than ending up in a landfill.
The program coordinator and circular economy expert Harutyun Alpetyan notes: “International analyses show that recycling 10,000 tons of waste creates 10-15 jobs. With Armenia’s 700,000 tons of waste, we’re talking about 8,400 potential jobs.”
The uncontrolled state of landfills in Armenia, the lack of a recycling system, and the accumulation of hazardous waste demonstrate that approaches inherited from Soviet times no longer work. However, ongoing reforms, including the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility system and the application of international best practices, provide hope that Armenia can transition to sustainable waste management.
This article is based on a comprehensive report by Karine Darbinyan, published by Ampop Media.
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