Municipalities Cannot Ensure Garbage Collection in Villages

In Azerbaijan, much is said about the necessity of public and state concern for environmental cleanliness. There is even a Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources that sometimes reports on fining polluters of nature and settlements. However, when the state fails to fulfill its duties by not creating places for the collection and disposal of household waste, while also prohibiting people from dumping waste out of sight, a paradoxical situation arises. Residents are forced to ignore the environmental protection law, and the state cannot punish them for it. As a result, nature is destroyed daily.

This is happening everywhere in Azerbaijan, outside major cities. In July 2024, in the resort village of Ilisu in the Gakh district, tourists enjoy the beauty of the mountains, but if they look down, under the village bridge, they see a mountain of rotting household garbage. Dirty water flows from a pipe down the mountain.

The 1,349 residents of Ilisu throw household waste under the bridge, built in the center of the village, into a ravine at the bottom of which flows a river, and at the foot of the mountain. In July-August, about 500 more vacationers producing household waste live in the village. Over the years, heaps of waste have formed, rotting in the winter under the snow and being eaten by wild animals. Ilisu residents see a large sign at the post office warning of a 1,000 manat fine for littering in unauthorized places. But what can they do if there is not a single trash can in the village?

In reality, there are many bins, but they are all gathered in the yard of the village municipality. When asked by Turan about the reason for the absence of trash containers on the streets of Ilisu, the municipality did not respond. According to villagers, containers are not placed because the village authorities do not have the funds to finance the daily cleaning of bins and garbage removal. The Gakh district does not have a modern landfill for household waste.

The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has launched propaganda work in educational institutions to explain to schoolchildren and students the duty of the population to take care of environmental cleanliness. The ministry's website reports on lessons on the theme "Year of Solidarity for a Green World" at the Azerbaijan Cooperation University, Zargava village secondary school in Guba district, Gullar village school in Balakan district, the central library of Gabala city, and others.

However, according to municipal expert Vugar Tofigli, village municipalities do not have the financial and human resources for constant garbage collection in villages. With an annual budget of 5,000 manats, municipalities cannot solve the household waste problem, the expert said.

The story of Ilisu is typical for all of Azerbaijan. This is related to the low domestic culture of the population, the absence of educational work, strict punitive measures: garbage in entrances, public places, forests, riverbeds, and on the seashore. Throwing a cigarette butt out of a car is the norm, leaving garbage on the beach, in the forest, and generally in nature – this is the norm. A strategic comprehensive program is needed to create a healthy domestic culture, designed for years. Formal lessons like "Year of Solidarity for a Green World" do not solve anything, while garbage is becoming a national heritage.