The FINANCIAL — An average of 800-1,000 tons of waste is produced every day in Tbilisi.
The size of the total amount of waste of Georgia is about 3,000,000 m3 per annum. Statistics have shown that each resident of Tbilisi produces half as much waste as the residents of any EU country.
Official tax for waste service differs in the cities of Georgia. The population of Tbilisi pays 2.5 GEL per person. The fee in the regions of Georgia is 1.2 GEL. According to Georgian legislation tax for waste service can’t exceed 3 GEL per month. As for a legal entity the tax can’t be more than 25 GEL every month. (Amendment from 2010 17.12)
Out of 100 rubbish dumps 69 are official landfill sites and the others are illegal.
The Government plans to develop waste recycling in Tbilisi, according to the Cleaning Municipal Service of Tbilisi City Hall. However it seems to remain a distant perspective yet. As the Waste and Chemicals Management Division explains, the process is connected to huge expenses. Waste recycling isn’t commercially profitable for companies or the state either.
“To start recycling we need waste sorting boxes,” said Tornike Shiolashvili, Head of the Cleaning Municipal Service of Tbilisi City Hall.
“Providing additional rubbish bins requires additional finances,” Khatuna Chikviladze, Head of the Waste and Chemicals Management Division told The FINANCIAL.
Tbilisi City Hall still plans to build a rubbish separation zone within the territory of the new Tbilisi rubbish yard.
“Only seven of all landfill sites and dumpsites have permission to operate. According to new changes in the legislation all of them have to apply for permission by 2014,” added Chikviladze.
Until 2005 landfill sites’ licensing permission was time limited. All the landfill sites which were constructed in Soviet times are essentially operating without permission.
“It’s incredible for a landfill to have operated for over 30-40 years. The optimal exploitation time of a rubbish tip is maximum 25 years,” noted Chikviladze.
Meanwhile the new landfill site near Tbilisi in the municipality of Gardabani is envisaged to serve the city for 50 years.
“The new sanitary landfill site is envisaged to be in use for 50 years,” said Tornike Shiolashvili, Head of the Cleaning Municipal Service. “Corresponding to this, we don’t need to look for a new rubbish site at the moment.”
There are some small recycling factories in Georgia these days. A paper recycling factory produces low quality toilet paper. Plastic recycling is mainly crumbling and exporting its produce. There is a glass recycling factory in Ksani, a small city 40 km from the capital.
“Glass recycling is the least profitable. The bottles must be very accurately sorted.
The waste management budget for 2011 is about 50.8 million GEL. Corresponding to the needs of protecting the ecology of the country the budget is increasing annually. In 2010 the amount of generated municipal income was 4,772,939 GEL. In comparison to income from waste services fees, the expenses (investment) of waste services amounted to 20,210,316 GEL.
The sanitary landfill site near Tbilisi went into use on November 15, 2010. It is situated over 70 hectares. The landfill site was constructed in accordance with all international standards.
Tbilisi City Hall has already started the closing procedures of old Gldani and Ialguja rubbish yards. They will close them officially by the end of 2011.
“The former Gldani rubbish yard is under our patronage,” said Giorgi Korkashvili, Director of the Ecology and Greenery Department of Tbilisi City Hall. “We have started to make the territory greener. As for the rubbish yard itself, there is need for more complex works there. This year we will start to change the ground within this territory, after which it will be ready for planting trees. The resulting pleasant environment and fresh air will be beneficial not only for the people who live in the Gldani district but also for the whole capital.”
The Government plans to construct new sanitary landfill sites in Inner and Kvemo Kartli as well. Scaling works will be started in Poti, Zugdidi and Anaklia in the nearest future.
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