Climate-friendly waste management I (IKLU)

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The Climate-Friendly Waste Management Kutaisi project envisages the introduction of an environmentally and resource-friendly as well as health-compatible waste management system in Kutaisi - the second largest city in Georgia - including surrounding towns and communities and is part of the Climate-Friendly Waste Management program in selected model regions of the South Caucasus. The project is intended to contribute to the protection of natural resources, the prevention of environmental pollution and climate-damaging emissions and the improvement of public health. The investment component includes supplies and services for the modernization of the waste management system of the entire project region. The target group of the project is the entire population of the city of Kutaisi and the surrounding regions of Imereti and Racha-Lechkhumi/Kvemo Svaneti, who will benefit from orderly waste disposal and the associated environmental and health effects. In total, this is around 750,000 inhabitants. Furthermore, waste disposal that is harmless to health will also improve the working conditions of the employees who have previously been entrusted with waste collection and disposal. The measures financed by the project include equipment for the collection and transport of household waste (vehicles, containers and transfer stations), the construction of a new modern municipal waste landfill (possibly with a sorting system for recovering recyclable materials) and the closure and environmentally friendly securing of the existing Kutaisi landfill. The Georgian side's own contributions will gradually close down other unorganized waste dumps throughout the project area. EU NIF funds will be used for an accompanying measure to set up a landfill administration and to provide targeted support to the project implementation unit (SWMCG). The department of the city administration responsible for waste collection in Kutaisi will also be supported to ensure that waste disposal is operated in a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly manner. The recipient of the loan is the Republic of Georgia, represented by the Ministry of Finance. The state-owned waste company Solid Waste Management Company of Georgia (SWMCG), which is located under the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure (MRDI), is the project implementation unit responsible for implementing the new waste management system (regional waste landfill with sorting plant in Kutaisi and transfer stations including long-distance transport). The respective city administrations in the project region are responsible for waste collection and transport to the landfill or transfer station. The total investment costs of the project amount to around EUR 24 million and are financed by an FC development loan of EUR 20 million and by contributions from the Georgian government of EUR 4 million. The costs for personnel and operational support of EUR 3.6 million are financed by funds from the EU Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF).