Yerevan's sanitation service provider fined

Sanitek, responsible for the collection and removal of garbage in Yerevan, was fined AMD 12 million (USD 25 000) this week.

City residents have been complaining about Sanitek’s service delivery, particularly during the summer months. The capital’s municipal services investigated the matter, and confirmed that the company has not fully met its obligations.

The service provider was previously warned about violating the terms of their contract and given a reasonable time-frame in which to remedy it. However, Sanitek failed to do this and was subsequently fined.

Furthermore, the company has been warned that even more severe penalties are to be expected.

In particular, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Elk faction in the Council of Elders of Yerevan has proposed to terminate Sanitek’s contract. The contract was signed four years ago when the city was run by former mayor Taron Margaryan.

“We propose to put out an international tender in order to attract a new service provider who will perform garbage collection and sanitation services in the capital. Problems with the collection and removal of garbage in Yerevan lie in the agreement which Sanitek signed four years ago. In the field of garbage disposal there must be competition.

“When the contract with the Sanitek International Group, which is registered in Beirut, was signed several years ago, a tender for a second operator was never put out,” explained David Hazhakyan, a representative of the Elk faction.