UNDP, Government of Sweden Promote Extended Producer Responsibility in Georgia

E-waste management under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in Georgia is the focus of a new project launched today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Sweden, in cooperation with the Georgian non-governmental organization GEO (Georgia’s Environmental Outlook) and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture.

The kick-off meeting on 19 June 2019 brought together representatives of the Georgian Government, civil society and international agencies.

Solomon Pavliashvili, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia; Nino Antadze, UNDP Environment & Energy Team Leader in Georgia; and Khatuna Zaldastanishlivi, Programme Officer at the Embassy of Sweden, addressed the participants of the meeting with welcome remarks.

Khatuna Gogaladze, Head of the GEO, presented the main directions of the planned activities, as well as the prospects and challenges associated with the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in Georgia.

The 16-month initiative aims to support the practical implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) principle in e-waste management once it enters into force on 1 December 2019. It will assist Georgia to finalise a by-law on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), conduct an inventory and strengthen capacities of the informal WEEE stakeholders, and establish an E-waste Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO).  

The project builds on the achievements on the previous work undertaken by UNDP, the Government of Sweden, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, and GEO in 2017-2018 to promote Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) as part of Georgia’s Waste Management Code.

The project activities will be implemented in close partnership with the key national and international stakeholders – governmental institutions, the private sector, civil society and international agencies.