From nuisance to pandemic
Pollution hits the beaches hardest during stormy weather. After a spell of high waves one can come across medical waste such as syringes, various medicine containers — even blood-transfusion equipment. Sights like these tend to dampen your spirits. 
Until just this year, the aforementioned dumpsite had served as a repository for hazardous medical waste from 25 hospitals, in addition to various medical stations and pharmacies, so the waste that was finding its way to the beaches through the process just described was much more than an eyesore: It became a full-blown health concern. Microorganisms responsible for various contagious diseases were thriving on those beaches polluted with biogenic and organic substances.
In 2006, the European Union supported Institutional Management of Medical Waste in Batumi and Qobuleti, a project that ended this year, but which introduced a semblance of organisation to the accumulation, temporary storage, transportation and incineration of medical waste in the effected area. The special incinerator was purchased with project funds.
“When waste management is not a priority in a country, when there is no law on waste management, no classification and data on waste, no master plan for waste management, and when most of the dumpsites are illegal, such a pilot project may even have a countrywide importance by creating positive precedence to be replicated,” said Nana Janashia, director of the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN).
