I. Metshin on the separate waste collection: “We must pass this road not for 10 years like other countries, but for 3-4 years”

(KZN.RU, May 14, Ksenia Shvetsova). Today, 47% of the housing stock in Kazan is transferred to separate waste collection. In total, 878 sites are equipped with containers for separate garbage collection. During the summer, it is necessary to modernize the remaining container sites, build new waste sorting stations and increase the motivation of citizens in this matter. Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, announced this today at the meeting of the city headquarters on the introduction of separate collection of municipal solid waste. It took place in the Executive Committee of the city.

Opening the meeting, I. Metshin noted that the issue of waste disposal requires the coordinated work of all departments. “Separate waste collection is a global issue across the country. The complexity of work led to the holding of regular meetings on this issue. This is our usual mode of operation. We are preparing for all the major events that take place in the city”, said the Mayor. Separate collection of municipal solid waste (MSW) has already been introduced in many countries, so Russia is following the known path, he added. “We need to find the right solution to all issues and take this step. The most important thing for us now is the introduction of separate waste collection in the housing stock”.

Iskander Giniyatullin, the deputy head of the Executive Committee, reported on the progress of the implementation of the project for a separate collection of MSW. During April, container sites in Kazan were equipped with bins for separate waste collection on the dual principle: into recyclable dry fractions and non-recyclable wet fractions. Today, there are 3047 containers with yellow and grey stickers on 878 sites, the first ones for collecting recyclable waste, the second ones for the rest.

“More than 47% of the housing stock of the city is transferred to separate waste collection”, noted I. Giniyatullin. “I ask the heads of district administrations to intensify work with the remaining managing companies and bring the housing coverage to 100%”.

The regional operator OOO “UC PZhKKh” purchased 300 euro-containers for the municipality. 200 of them have already been installed on container sites, and another 100 ones will be installed this week.

Both the regional operator and the managing organizations and district administrations should control the separate collection of garbage, said the speaker. “Loading of separately collected waste into one car is unacceptable, as it denigrates the entire system of separate collection. Residents are watching this very carefully, they are actively reporting to us. We should not allow overfilling of containers”, marked the deputy head of the Executive Committee.

“Today, the task is to sign contracts with managing organizations by the regional operator”, said I. Giniyatullin. “Today, 132 managing companies, the HOA, HBC did not conclude contracts yet. The main reason is the misunderstanding of work in the new conditions”. It is also necessary to complete the registration of contracts with citizens living in the private sector in the near future. Today the services of the regional operator are paid by less than 65% of households, said the speaker. The regional operator must sign contracts with all waste generators, private carriers, waste processors, owners of sorting stations and landfills.

In total, the city plans to organize about 900 sites providing for a separate collection of MSW. In addition, the regional operator plans to build 4 more stations to the already existing 4 waste sorting stations.

I. Metshin asked which site option was preferred, recalling that several projects were under consideration. “Priority will be given to such sites as in the Moskovsky district. The garbage will be divided according to the principle of dual separation, into dry and wet waste”, answered I. Giniyatullin.

“During May-June we have to complete the installation of containers for separate collection. During the same time, the regional operator fixes the export of containers. Now the main issue is the creation of urban infrastructure. The next big question is outreach work with the population”, answered I. Giniyatullin.

The Mayor passed the issue of working with the population to Rustem Gafarov, the first deputy head of the Executive Committee. He said that children in Kazan schools are already taught to live an environmentally friendly lifestyle. All schools are equipped with containers for separate garbage collection, and they carry out thematic classes with children.

“Over the summer, we have to finish preparing the infrastructure, build 4 more waste sorting stations, organize a timely garbage collection”, concluded the Mayor. “And the most important question is the motivation of the population. We need to think of any options that would work on the education and inculcation of this culture. There are regions, countries that have walked this road in 10 years on average. But we have to decrease time and pass the same way in 3-4 years to be on a completely different level in the culture of separate garbage collection”.

It is planned to discuss how to motivate the population to separate garbage collection and improve the culture of environmental education at the next meeting.

A pilot project for the implementation of a separate collection of municipal waste started in the capital of Tatarstan in the summer of 2018. As a result, the volume of removal of municipal solid waste to landfill was reduced by 30-35%.