Moscow region reduces the climate impact of household waste

Photo: Moscow region government portal

Moscow Region has launched a pilot project “Ecoshack” to install recycling machines at petrol stations (PS). This was reported by TASS with reference to the regional Ministry of Housing and Utilities.

The first recyclable waste collection unit appeared at a gas station of Tatneft near the village of Dubinino in Solnechnogorskiy urban district. Further “eco-box” will be placed in Solnechnogorsk at the gas stations of Tatneft network and in Pushkinskiy district at the “Trassa” gas station.

The eco-cabinet project will be implemented by recyclers of secondary material resources (SMR). The initiative builds on the Megabuck initiative, which is designed to increase opportunities for separate collection of MSW from the population and develop a closed-cycle economy in the Moscow region.

“Indeed, it is very convenient at petrol stations: you fill up the washer, antifreeze, and put the container in the ‘eco-box’, such a mini MegaBox,” said Moscow Region Vice-Governor Evgeny Khromushin, who took part in the launch ceremony of the ‘eco-box’.

The official reminded that waste management reform started three years ago, since that time more than 7.6 million tons of rubbish have been sent for recycling.

As a reminder, the MegaBox project was launched in the Moscow region in 2019. Its main goal is to increase the share of recyclable waste collection and recycling in the region.

“MegaBox operates as follows: containers for different types of waste and old things: household appliances, furniture, paper and cardboard, tin, plastic bottles, books, clothes, batteries, lamps and sawed-down plants are placed in the recycling sites.

As the waste accumulates, the recycling companies, as well as the regional operators of the Moscow region, take away the collected waste directly from the sites.

Around 80% of the inhabitants of the Moscow region now participate in separate waste collection. This was stated by Anton Velikhovsky, Minister of Housing and Communal Services of the region, at the environmental forum “Sustainable Development: New Trends and Global Challenges” in June 2022, TASS reported.

According to the official, in 2019, no one believed that people would start sorting waste. But even in the first year of the programme, the rate of separate collection reached 50 percent.

By now, all landfills in Moscow region have closed. They have been replaced by 11 recycling complexes. The minister noted that the total amount of investment in the development of separate waste collection exceeded 100 billion roubles.

Cover photo: alacatr / iStock