The Delegation of the Republic of Belarus and the Bank representatives have agreed on the draft Loan Agreement in the amount of US$ 42.51 million proposed by IBRD and the draft Grant Agreement in the amount of US$ 5.5 million proposed by Global Environment Facility (GEF) for the Integrated Solid Waste Management Project. Negotiations for the draft Loan Agreement and the draft Grant Agreement were held on 12-13, May.
The objective of the Integrated Solid Waste Management Project is to increase environmental benefits of integrated solid waste management in the City of Grodno and strengthen national capacities to manage hazardous wastes associated with Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
This will be achieved by four components. The first is the Construction of Mechanical Waste Separation Facility in the City of Grodno. It includes provision of goods, works and consultants services for design, construction and supervision for a modern mechanical waste separation plant to recover recyclable materials.
The second component is the Waste Management Improvements which aims at improving the collection of separated waste in Grodno, including carrying out of public information and awareness raising activities.
The Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Stockpile Management is the third component is and it is partly (US$5.5 million) financed by a GEF Grant. The Component objective is to align national environmentally sound management (ESM) of POPs with Belarus obligations under the Stockholm Convention and to implement priority actions under the National Implementation Plan. The POPs stockpile management will include among others the capture and secure storage of POPs stockpiles and waste, removal of priority POPs from a major burial site, ESM disposal of priority POPs.
Under the fourth component, The Project Management and other Support Activities, such measures are taken as strengthening the management capacity of the Project Coordinating Team to monitor and administer the Project implementation, including staffing, training, financial audit and Incremental Operating Costs.
The Project is estimated at USD 75.44 million. The Loan will cover USD 42.506,000 million; the Grant will cover USD 5.5 million, and the local financing USD 27.43 million.
