Georgia will shortly introduce the e-waste management system, says the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Otar Shamugia who presented the relevant project earlier this week, noting that the project implementation is the state’s priority domain as stipulated by the EU Association Agreement.

“We have only recently begun to implement this reform. There are 11,000 people registered in the National Agency of Public Registry, which means that this process has begun,” Shamugia told media outlets.

The Chair of the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Committee, Maia Bitadze explained that the project seeks to dwindle the waste and transform it into new products.

“It is the first time that we have implemented a key element of the circular economy within the Association Agreement agreement, i.e., waste collection to reduce waste and obtain new products,” Bitadze added.

According to the World Health Organization, e-waste is the fastest-growing solid waste stream in the world.

Every year millions of electrical and electronic devices are discarded as products break or become obsolete and are thrown away. These discarded devices are considered e-waste and can become a threat to the environment and human health if they are not treated, disposed of, and recycled appropriately.

Common items in e-waste streams include computers, mobile phones, and large household appliances, as well as medical equipment.