Ilsur Metshin: “We don’t want to increase the number of landfills”

(KZN.RU, January 24, Zilya Gayfi). 430 tons of plastic garbage for recycling was collected in 2017 in Kazan. Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, said about the need to expand the practice of waste separate collection at the XXIII session of the Kazan City Duma in the City Hall today.

“So far, only a third of the yards in Kazan are equipped with nets for collecting of PET bottles but this result is impressive. During the year, we collected 430 tons of plastic from the population. This volume takes 122 cars. Plastic remains forever if it is not recycled. We are ready to move on to a new level of this work. Today's session should be a starting point for joint work in this direction”, said the Mayor to the deputies.

Mass installation of net containers for collecting of PET bottles in yards and containers for collecting of spent chemical sources of current began in Kazan in 2017. According to Farid Abdulganiev, the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the RT, now residents of gardeners' partnership can collect solid municipal waste separately. “Last year 5 tons of used batteries were collected in Kazan, 30 containers were installed. 67 specialized sites were built in Kazan and its suburbs where 147 containers and bunkers were installed to collect waste”, said the head of the department.

Also, work on reclamation of existing landfills is being conducted in Kazan. The main project of the Year of Ecology in Kazan was the recultivation of the Samosyrovskaya landfill where more than 45 million tons of waste was collected over several decades of operation. “Now the giant garbage mountain is covered with a film and earth. This year we plan to conduct landscaping work, and there will be a green hill. There are not many similar projects in the country. We don’t want to increase the number of new landfills. Therefore it is necessary to extract the maximum benefit from the collected garbage”, said the Mayor.

The head of the city reminded that the project of forming a comfortable urban environment will start in Russia in 2018. “We face the task of involving residents in projects aimed at improving the city, protecting the environment, and separate collection of garbage. This is a matter of both money and environmental education. It is important to bring the information to the children because this is our future. We cannot be called a cultural city without this”, said the Mayor and instructed Denis Kalinkin, the head of the Executive Committee, and the Department of Education and the heads of the districts to develop solutions and present them at the August meeting of the teachers' council.

An important time in the ecological education of children was in 2017 when the eco-center opened on the territory of the Gorkinsko-Ometievsky forest. “Special hopes are placed on the project to create an all-Russian ecological and educational center on the site on Kosmonavtov Street, which was supported by the President of the RT. Since this land plot is under the jurisdiction of the city, we ask you for maximum assistance in the implementation of this project”, Farid Abdulganiev addressed to Ilsur Metshin. According to the minister, the opening of the center in Kazan is quite justified because 80% of the prize-winning places of the All-Russian Olympiad in ecology are annually being taken by Kazan students.

The improvement of the ecological situation and the environment protection is a strategic initiative of Vladimir Putin, the President of the RF, which is supported by the citizens and is aimed at overall improvement of the life quality. The strategy of environmental safety of the country until 2025 is developed in Russia. The issue of garbage disposal is one of the four priority directions of work determined by the head of state in this area.