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Hakob Mikoyan, the founder of the “Littering is shameful” initiative, posted photos on Facebook on Monday showing how streets in Yerevan are littered with face masks and gloves the demand for which has surged in recent days amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

"Please warn citizens against throwing away their used masks and gloves in wrong places in the social adds on coronavirus. It could become a new source of the spread of infection,” he wrote.

Naturally, here a question arises about what measures the state structures are taking under such conditions.

Panorama.am talked to Yerevan Municipality spokesperson Hakob Karapetyan over the issue.

Panorama.am: What additional measures are used in garbage collection these days so that it does not become a source of infection? Or is it just dumped in the landfills, as it was the case before?

H. Karapetyan: The municipality is working out a garbage recycling program, mainly concerning paper and plastics. In January, the mayor signed a €5.3 million grant agreement with the EU Delegation in Armenia on hazardous waste management in Yerevan. The process has started, but it would be wrong to state that the whole process of recycling, the whole chain is in active use. It will take a few years; the task force is working in this direction.

Medical waste is considered solid garbage, and there is a special rule for collecting it, the violation of which leads to appropriate sanctions.

Panorama.am: Do you mean that the garbage is now being disposed in the same way as before the spread of coronavirus in Armenia, and, consequently, the face masks and gloves as garbage are being removed more often?

H. Karapetyan: Yes.

Panorama.am: Today there are waste, particularly plastic collecting and recycling companies. Does the municipality cooperate with such organizations?

H. Karapetyan: Yes, we do. Either they collect the plastic waste and deliver it to us, or we provide places to them, or they provide garbage sorting bins to the municipality-run entities. That is, we cooperate in various ways.

Plastic, paper and other waste processing companies have been functioning in Yerevan for several years already. The whole point is that citizens collect plastics in their own homes to hand them to recycling companies, paying them 800 drams to carry the waste.

The municipality fails to keep up not only with the garbage developments but also the process. It could certainly call citizens to collect more plastics in their homes and hand them to recycling companies, promising to somehow compensate for the 800 drams paid by them for the service.

Thus, the trash-free area would slowly become larger and the waste amount would decline, with the main forces to be focused on eliminating potentially infected gloves and masks.

As you can see, the municipal authorities have taken no such measure.

Thus Panorama.am itself calls on citizens: dear countrymen, if you look at the list of actions advised for those infected with coronavirus, you will see that it tells them to seal their trash.

If you fail to do so, at least don’t scatter the used face masks and gloves, be responsible.

At least you practice responsible behavior.