A discussion was held at the American University of Armenia on the topic "Implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility System in Armenia within the framework of the Comprehensive and Expanded Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Armenia".
During the event, prospects for the implementation of the EMERCOM system in Armenia were discussed, opinions of local and international experts in this field were presented, challenges facing countries with similar experience and lessons learned, local initiatives on sustainable waste management were touched upon. The role of public relations and education in improving the efficiency of waste management and changing behavior in society was also presented.
Noting the need to develop a legislative framework for the implementation of the extended producer responsibility system, Deputy Minister of Environment Tigran Gabrielyan noted: "The Ministry of Environment really attaches importance to the trilateral memorandum of understanding signed between the Ministry of Environment, the ITC and the American University of Armenia, as well as mutually beneficial cooperation within its framework as a result of the implementation of the 4-year program "Waste management Policy in Armenia", funded by Sweden".
Swedish Ambassador to Armenia Patrick Svensson noted during the discussion: "Sustainable use of natural resources is a priority for Sweden and corresponds to the strategy of Eastern Europe, as well as Armenia. We are cooperating with the Ministries of Territorial Administration, Infrastructure and Environment, as well as with the American University of Armenia in the implementation of this strategy. This program in the amount of 3.5 million euros refers specifically to the divided collection of household waste and the introduction of an expanded producer responsibility system."
Referring to the importance of implementing the EMERCOM system, the head of the Waste Management Policy in Armenia program, funded by Sweden and implemented by the Committee of the Yakobyan Environmental Center of the American University of Armenia Harutyun Aleptyan stressed: "The extended producer responsibility system ensures environmentally safe management of waste generated after consumption of specific goods exported to the market by manufacturers or importers. It is important to note that we are talking not only about the waste of glass, paper or plastic packaging, but also about hazardous waste such as tires, batteries, containers with chemicals, waste electrical and electronic equipment, etc."
The importance of the topic under discussion was also discussed by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom to Armenia John Gallagher, Charge d'affaires of the United States Chip Leitinen, representatives of the NGO "Chamber of Commerce of America in Armenia" and "Armenian-British Business Chamber","rua Group" and the company "Parpunas Sustainability Consulting", referring to the projects implemented in Armenia programs for the implementation of emergency situations systems and similar experience in other countries.