"Assessment of the impact of waste collection and processing on the health of the local population in rural settlements of Azerbaijan", 16 June 2025

Although waste collection, transportation and processing in Azerbaijan is one of the most serious problems for the country as a whole, this issue is more critical for rural settlements than for cities. Thus, housing and communal services operate in cities, and these institutions have both the necessary technical capabilities and staff for the collection and transportation of waste. In villages, the situation is completely different: district (city) housing and communal services institutions do not provide services to rural areas. Municipalities and executive offices are able to evade the issue of cleaning the territory from waste, citing the fact that they do not have both the necessary technical means and financial resources to perform this function. As a result, in most villages, waste generated in both household and agricultural sectors accumulates in open areas and causes environmental degradation in these regions...

The National Strategy for Improving Solid Waste Management for 2018–2022 [4] stated that it was necessary to ensure the efficient use of existing resources in establishing investments and development schemes that would contribute to the collection, recycling and disposal of solid waste in rural areas...

1. Legal requirements for waste management in rural areas in Azerbaijan

...the living environment of people should be in a condition that does not have a dangerous and harmful effect on their body. This requires the implementation of the necessary state, regional and local programs by authorized bodies, compliance with sanitary rules and norms, and hygiene standards...
2. Statistical indicators on waste generation in the regions

...The approximately 5-fold difference between Baku and the regions shows that the problem of household waste collection in the regions of the country, especially in villages, remains serious..

1. International experience in waste management in rural areas 

...in underdeveloped countries, due to the large population living in rural areas, a larger number of people have a low level of coverage of necessary services. 

1. Creation of feasible mechanisms for waste management in residential areas in Azerbaijan     

The current legal conditions...impose the obligation of cleaning rural settlements from household waste on local executive authorities. However, in reality, this authority is not exercised...since there is no separate regulation or other legal documents regulating the activities of housing and communal services, citizens or public organizations defending their interests cannot make claims and demands to the authorized state bodies in this area...