Minimum Standards for Operation, Improvement, and Closure of Landfills Approved

The government has approved the minimum standards for the operation, improvement, and closure of existing and operational landfills in the Republic of Armenia. According to the justification, numerous garbage dumps have been created or formed spontaneously in the settlements over the years, occupying significant areas and causing serious environmental and sanitary issues.

The existing waste disposal sites in the Republic do not comply with international or any urban planning, environmental, and sanitary-hygienic standards and are exclusively sites for waste accumulation. They primarily do not meet hygienic and sanitary standards and are operated in an unregulated manner. In particular, there is a lack of control over groundwater and emissions.

The justification states that with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the implementation of the 'Integrated Solid Waste Management System in 8 Regions of Armenia' project is planned, which will involve zoning the territory of Armenia for solid waste management, creating an effective institutional and management system, and then implementing capital projects according to the zones, including the establishment of sanitary landfills, waste sorting stations, and possible recycling plants, ensuring the necessary logistics.

Currently, the preliminary study phase is underway. Thus, the decision proposes to set minimum standards for the operation, improvement, and closure of existing landfills to ensure ecologically safe conditions, reduce and neutralize the negative and hazardous impacts of landfills on human health and the environment.

Specifically, it establishes what type of waste is prohibited from being placed in solid municipal waste landfills, the prohibition of burning waste on landfill premises, and the requirements for fire safety measures. As a minimum requirement, the landfills must be fenced, properly equipped at access points, and undergo periodic consolidation/aeration, humidification, and isolation through soil layering during operation. There are mandatory requirements for the presence of water and contaminants on the landfill site, the implementation of a waste registration system, the development of a landfill operational plan, and the maintenance of a record book for incoming waste. Additionally, minimum closure standards for landfills that are to be closed are outlined, including the use of soil cover and mineral and drainage layers.