In the coming weeks Yerevan will install its first plastic recycling containers. They will accept and shred plastic items and additionally, hand out store or restaurant discount coupons as a “reward”. Mediamax has talked with Apaga, the company that came forward with this initiative and produced the SmartApaga Recycling Containers.
Why not?
That is the question UWC Dilijan graduate Cedric Solms asked himself while trying to figure out if he should return to his native Germany or stay in Armenia and help clean the country from waste.
In the end, Cedric joined forces with another UWC Dilijan student Mikhail Zamskoy to make recycling projects in Armenia.
“I came to the Dilijan college to change my life, try something new. When our initiative worked out, I realized I couldn’t just get up and leave, and that is when Mikhail and I met Haik Kazarian,” told Cedric.
What do you do with so many bottles?
And that is the question Armenian-Canadian Haik Kazarian asked himself during his 8th visit to Armenia. While in Yerevan, he would not throw out plastic bottles under any circumstances.
“I just collected them, although I had no idea what I was going to do with them. I kept looking for a solution and I couldn’t find any. One day I complained about it on social media, and Cedric and Mikhail responded. It turned out we had the same idea. In the end, we launched the smart containers startup,” said Haik.
Can it be profitable?
No, as they discovered. The initiators and executors of the SmartApaga Recycling Container neither profit nor lose from the project. The only beneficiary is the person throwing plastic bottles into the smart bin.
“Our sole objective is to clean up a little the city and the country from all that waste. These containers are not our invention, a number of developed countries have them. If it works there, why shouldn’t it work in Armenia?” said Haik.
What will the containers look like?
When you notice in the street unusual green and white boxes with specific signs and cameras, go ahead and try to put a plastic bottle or cup in the container – it is the smart one. The container is designed to withstand sunlight and humidity.
The startup spent AMD 2 million to make the first boxes.
Help choose the spots
The survey aimed at determining the best spots for the containers was conducted on Apaga community page, which opened in 2018.
“Now we want to figure out where to put the containers in Yerevan, because we have a long waiting list of client companies and individuals. The excitement that our initiative cause actually convinced us we were on the right way and it would work out in Yerevan nicely,” said Cedric.
“It definitely will, because these containers are also for people who care about environment and want to save the nature for the next generations,” added Haik.
According to him, as many as 40 companies (restaurants, supermarkets and stores) have expressed the readiness to cooperate and provide discount coupons.
“Now we only need to find supporters, investors and sponsors to expand the scale of production and installment of the smart containers.
The next key issue is to get help with finding users for the recycled plastic or the ways to export it,” concluded Haik.
Lusin Mkrtchyan
Photos by Emin Aristakesyan