Armenian lawmakers discuss controversial bill on collection and disposal of garbage
30.09.2010,
03:13
During a parliament hearing today Armenian lawmakers looked into a controversial bill calling for a substantial rise of fees for collection and disposal of garbage.
YEREVAN, September 29, /ARKA/. During a parliament hearing today Armenian lawmakers looked into a controversial bill calling for a substantial rise of fees for collection and disposal of garbage.
The bill envisages four ways of collecting fees that can be calculated depending on the number of a household families, the space of their apartment, the volume of the garbage or its weight.
Citing the displeasure of citizens about the poor organization of garbage collection the chairman of a parliament committee on territorial management issues, Hovhannes Margarian, said the current law should be revised. He then compared the fees paid by Armenian households with those in some European countries – 1000 Drams in Armenia and 14 Euros in Belgium (8000 Drams), 30 euros in Germany, 15 in Italy and Greece.
A deputy justice minister Nikolay Arustamian said the proposed bill will specify the entire gamut of relations in this sector, set clear-cut sanitary standards, define the circle of those who are to pay for garage collection and the duties of garbage collecting companies. He said the communities will be allowed to themselves choose one of the four options. He then said that in the United States the households pay for the number of garbage containers they have, while in Denmark citizens pay for the weight of the garbage.
But he admitted that salaries and wages in Armenia and in Europe or USA are not comparable. He said the preferred option in Armenia is to calculate the fee based on the number of members of a household. -0-
The bill envisages four ways of collecting fees that can be calculated depending on the number of a household families, the space of their apartment, the volume of the garbage or its weight.
Citing the displeasure of citizens about the poor organization of garbage collection the chairman of a parliament committee on territorial management issues, Hovhannes Margarian, said the current law should be revised. He then compared the fees paid by Armenian households with those in some European countries – 1000 Drams in Armenia and 14 Euros in Belgium (8000 Drams), 30 euros in Germany, 15 in Italy and Greece.
A deputy justice minister Nikolay Arustamian said the proposed bill will specify the entire gamut of relations in this sector, set clear-cut sanitary standards, define the circle of those who are to pay for garage collection and the duties of garbage collecting companies. He said the communities will be allowed to themselves choose one of the four options. He then said that in the United States the households pay for the number of garbage containers they have, while in Denmark citizens pay for the weight of the garbage.
But he admitted that salaries and wages in Armenia and in Europe or USA are not comparable. He said the preferred option in Armenia is to calculate the fee based on the number of members of a household. -0-
