EBRD allocates €19 mln for better waste management, disposal in Georgia’s Black Sea region of Adjara

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has allocated €19 million for better waste management and disposal in western Georgia’s Black Sea region of Adjara, the Bank said on Monday.

The first committed tranche of up to €3 million will be used to purchase new solid waste management equipment, while up to €16 million will be used to build a new waste treatment plant in the second phase, allowing the Adjara Solid Waste Management Company to recover recyclables and divert waste to a new sanitary landfill.

The Bank also revealed the investment would address priority needs of Batumi, as identified by its Green City Action Plan, as well as the wider Adjara region.

This includes stopping the disposal of waste at existing dumpsites in Kobuleti and Batumi [...] These dumpsites are active sources of land, water and air pollution, impacting the ecosystem of the region in particular and the Black Sea in general”, the EBRD said.

Georgian Finance Minister Lasha Khutsishvili said the project would help transform Batumi into a “more attractive” tourist destination for local and foreign visitors.

The EBRD has invested over €35 billion in Georgia to date through 280 projects, with more than 80 percent of them coming in the private sector. 

Key areas of the Bank’s investment include financial sectors, sustainable infrastructure, manufacturing and services, and small and medium-size enterprises, it said.