I. Metshin: “We are all equally responsible for the future and the ecology of our capital”

(KZN.RU, January 25, Alena Miroshnichenko). Today, at the extraordinary XXXI session of Kazan City Duma, the deputies considered the issue of organizing activities for the accumulation, collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal of municipal solid waste. Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, said that the issue is among the priorities for this year. The capital of Tatarstan should become a pilot city for the implementation of the most important environmental project, the success of which is possible only with the participation of the population.

Iskander Giniyatullin, the deputy head of the Executive Committee in charge of housing and communal services, told about the changes in the legislation of the Russian Federation that came into force. In order to reduce the burden on the environment, to close unauthorized landfills, to reduce waste generation, the federal project “Ecology” has been launched in Russia since 2019. A territorial waste management scheme has been developed in Tatarstan according to it. Kazan, together with 21 municipal districts of the republic, became part of the western zone, which will be serviced by the OOO “UK PZhKH”.

“The territorial scheme provides for the development of the necessary infrastructure for waste management, the organization of 100 percent collection, removal, as well as efficient and safe disposal of waste”, said I. Giniyatullin. “The federal law provides the obligation of each waste generator to have an agreement on garbage collection with a regional operator. The regional operator should have contracts for the disposal and burial of waste”.

The existing scheme of collecting and transporting waste, which consists of two stages, will be preserved in Kazan.

I. Giniyatullin added that by 2022, it is planned to build an eco-technology park with a modern automatic waste sorting station and production lines processing a wide range of recycled materials. By this time, a plant should be built in the western zone for thermal neutralization of the sorted waste. At the same time, the speaker noted that the stage of waste incineration is no less important in the separate collection of municipal solid waste, moreover, this is a mandatory requirement for the creation of an appropriate infrastructure.

The Mayor of Kazan noted that the amount of garbage increases every year, its morphology changes. “There is nothing new in this sphere, so the plant is the second stage. First of all, it is necessary to increase the culture of waste collection among Kazan residents. This is ecology, our future. It concerns everyone, regardless of whether they support the initiatives of the leadership and officials or not. There are no officials or opposition here, we are all equal. We all want to live in an environmentally friendly city and that our children live in a clean city. We are all equally responsible for the future and the ecology of our capital. We have a long road ahead, we have undertaken hard work. but I hope we will master it together”, said Ilsur Metshin.

The deputy head of the Executive Committee reminded the deputies of a pilot project on the introduction of separate waste collection, launched last summer in the Aviastroitelny district. “The project showed its viability and, most importantly, confirmed the involvement and interest of citizens in the separate waste collection,” said I. Giniyatullin. “Creating the necessary conditions for separate waste collection, educational programs in schools and kindergartens, environmental raids carried out and activities for collecting recyclables give their results. Today, the waste carrier and the management company of the Aviastroitelny district record significant changes in the morphological composition of the exported waste. Thus, 7-10% of secondary resources suitable for processing were extracted at the start of the project. Today, at least 20-25% of recyclable waste is extracted from these containers”.

Iskander Giniyatullin also reminded that, according to legislative changes, the municipality is responsible for maintaining container sites located in the city. There are 263 ones in Kazan in the local areas and 431 ones in the individual residential sector. Container sites that are part of the common property of apartment buildings must be maintained by management organizations. Sites belonging to other owners must be maintained at the expense of the owners of these land plots, as is stated in the new Federal Law.

“Despite the contractual company, which has not been fully completed yet, there have been no failures in waste collection in Kazan since the beginning of the year. The work was organized in daily mode. The control of waste accumulation, clearing of access roads, and waste collection were carried out by managing organizations”, I. Giniyatullin finished his report to the deputies.

The Mayor of Kazan noted the importance and complexity of the issue under discussion. “During the year, we will often return to this topic. We will consult, invite experts, have field meetings with deputy commissions, and meet with business representatives. We are at the beginning of the road, despite the fact that the world has already invented everything and has passed this road. And there was not a single city that would organize such a great job in one moment”, said I. Metshin. He added that success in this matter can be achieved only with systemic work and interaction, learning the best experience, working at all levels, and educating the population.