On 8 July the working meeting on solid waste management took place in Bakchysaray, AR Crimea.

 During the meeting the experts in the sphere reported on current situation related to solid waste management in rayon and local authorities activities aimed at addressing the problem.

Aziz Abdulayev, Deputy Chairperson of ARC Council of Ministers  informed the audience on complex approach of ARC power to reforming the solid waste management (waste collection and processing) system in Crimea. According to his words, solid waste management is the priority of ARC Development Strategy till 2020. To ensure the successful problem solution, it is necessary to consider the interrelations between authorities and population as separate aspect of the sphere.

“The problem of solid waste management (SWM) is important and timely. Current SWM system has no such elements as sorting and processing. We have very few cases of waste sorting by population. In fact, this element is only emerging. We should teach the people how to deal with waste”, - stressed Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers.

Juerg Christen, DESPRO Director, in his turn, promised to assist Bakchysaray to conduct the analyses of rayon’s ecological situation in order to ensure the future implementation of innovative projects on solid waste collection, processing and utilization in line with all European norms and standards. Besides, DESPRO is ready to support the process of informing and improving acknowledgement of population re methods of separate waste collection and utilization.

The meeting was attended by Aziz Abdulayev, Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of Crimea and Minister of Regional Development and Housing, Juerg Christen, DESPRO Director, Oksana Garnets, Senior Project Coordinator in Ukraine, Ilmi Imerov, Head of Bakhchysaraysky rayon State Administration, chairpersons of rayon and town councils.