"Not a landfill, but a plant": Avinyan reacts harshly to a report on the waste infrastructure construction project
06.04.2026,
12:21
Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan stated that Yerevan needs a solid waste processing plant, not a landfill.
YEREVAN, April 6. /ARKA/. Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan stated that Yerevan needs a solid waste processing plant, not a landfill.
In December 2025, the Yerevan Municipality announced an open two-stage tender to select an investor for the construction and subsequent operation of a mixed municipal waste processing plant. It is planned to be established on the site of the Nubarashen landfill on the outskirts of the city. In collaboration with partners (the EBRD and the World Bank), proposals for the construction of a new landfill and processing plant have been collected, and the terms of the two-stage tender have been developed. At a working meeting at City Hall on Monday, Mayoral Advisor Anetta Babayan reported that a kickoff meeting with the winning company for the program to close old landfills and build a new landfill in Yerevan is planned for May 20, 2026.
"In this regard, we anticipate receiving official information from the EBRD. Back in December 2025, as a result of joint work with EBRD partners, two international tenders were published, which were successfully implemented, given the high environmental risk of the program.
The EBRD is currently working to summarize the results and award the contracts," Babayan noted.
Babayan expressed hope that, as the work proceeds smoothly and the investment program is approved in accordance with government regulations, the tender process for the construction of a new landfill and technical supervision services will begin by the end of the year.
Avinyan, clarifying whether the program with the EBRD concerns the construction of a landfill, stated that it will not yield any results.
"Our goal is not to build a new landfill. Absolutely not. Our goal was to have a new waste processing plant that would completely absorb the waste generated in Yerevan and the surrounding areas. If the goal is to build a new landfill, then you can stop and tell your partners, 'That's it, we'll stop here, we don't need anything else.' I disagree with that formulation," the mayor said.
He emphasized that work must be carried out in a way that ultimately leads to the closure of the existing landfill and the launch of a new waste processing plant.
"From now on, I ask that you refrain from discussing the construction of any new landfill at all," he emphasized.
In December 2025, the Yerevan Municipality announced an open two-stage tender to select an investor for the construction and subsequent operation of a mixed municipal waste processing plant. It is planned to be established on the site of the Nubarashen landfill on the outskirts of the city. In collaboration with partners (the EBRD and the World Bank), proposals for the construction of a new landfill and processing plant have been collected, and the terms of the two-stage tender have been developed. At a working meeting at City Hall on Monday, Mayoral Advisor Anetta Babayan reported that a kickoff meeting with the winning company for the program to close old landfills and build a new landfill in Yerevan is planned for May 20, 2026.
"In this regard, we anticipate receiving official information from the EBRD. Back in December 2025, as a result of joint work with EBRD partners, two international tenders were published, which were successfully implemented, given the high environmental risk of the program.
The EBRD is currently working to summarize the results and award the contracts," Babayan noted.
Babayan expressed hope that, as the work proceeds smoothly and the investment program is approved in accordance with government regulations, the tender process for the construction of a new landfill and technical supervision services will begin by the end of the year.
Avinyan, clarifying whether the program with the EBRD concerns the construction of a landfill, stated that it will not yield any results.
"Our goal is not to build a new landfill. Absolutely not. Our goal was to have a new waste processing plant that would completely absorb the waste generated in Yerevan and the surrounding areas. If the goal is to build a new landfill, then you can stop and tell your partners, 'That's it, we'll stop here, we don't need anything else.' I disagree with that formulation," the mayor said.
He emphasized that work must be carried out in a way that ultimately leads to the closure of the existing landfill and the launch of a new waste processing plant.
"From now on, I ask that you refrain from discussing the construction of any new landfill at all," he emphasized.
