Rubbish or waste? What is recyclable in Armenia?
You can significantly reduce the amount of rubbish that goes to landfills: here's how!
- Available in:
- Հայերեն
- English
Why recycle? What’s in it for me?
In 2019, 590,000 tonnes of rubbish was dumped in Armenia, 310,000 tonnes of which were in Yerevan alone. Armenia is implementing major waste-management reforms, and each one of us can help our country succeed in this crucial process.
Why is this important? Because proper waste management has many benefits: economic (job creation, positive impact on tourism, efficient resource management), public health (reduction of health risks by reducing soil, water, and air pollution), and environmental (reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and hazardous waste pollution).
According to a UNDP study, Armenia produces about 6,000 tonnes of recycled plastic waste annually. Instead of being a source of trouble, it can turn into a source of income and jobs. This amount of waste could generate US$ 5-6 million in revenue for municipalities, national reserves, and the private sector, creating 10-15 jobs for every 1,000 tonnes of waste.
What’s my role in this?
Can you imagine that a citizen living in Yerevan generates an average of 300kg of waste per year? In comparison, a citizen living in other regions of Armenia generates an average of 220kg. Considering that average life expectancy in Armenia is 76, one person could produce approximately 19,760kg of garbage in his/her lifetime.
How wonderful would it be if each person tried to generate less rubbish by reducing the amount of waste in the household, reusing or sorting waste for recycling and in that way preventing it from being burned or from decomposing and releasing toxins.
To make the sorting process possible for Yerevan residents, over 400 recycling bins were placed in 135 locations across Yerevan in March 2021. The yellow ones are for paper, the grey bin is for glass and the blue ones are for plastic. This pilot programme covers all administrative districts of the capital.
Hopefully, this opportunity will be available for residents of other cities in Armenia soon. Firstly, however, let's see what can be recycled in Armenia and what cannot.
What can be recycled in Armenia?
Paper, cardboard
|
Recyclable: |
Non-recyclable: |
|---|---|
|
|
Plastic
|
Recyclable: |
Non-recyclable: |
|---|---|
|
|
Glass
|
Recyclable: |
Non-recyclable: |
|---|---|
|
|
How do I properly sort waste at home?
- Fold cardboard boxes to save space
- Remove plastic bottle lids and squeeze the bottles to save space
- Remove metal and paper layers from plastic items
- Wash dirty particles
- Do not put plastic bags in bottles
- Do not leave liquid in containers
- Remove lids, metal parts, labels from glass containers
- Dispose of glass by making it clean, dry and without a plastic bag.
After the recycling companies get the waste, it’s then put into a grinding machine, processed and turned into new products, such as buckets, vases, hangers, paper towels, toilet paper, glass bottles, and much more.
Each of us can significantly reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfills.
Let's start reducing our waste, reusing it or sorting waste, and demand that this fantastic opportunity be made available across the country.
If you have any questions on recycling, write to our FB page.
