“Absolutely no smell”: how landfills are turned into green hills

As of 1 September, new rules for handling recyclable materials will come into force in Russia. The State Duma adopted the relevant law several days ago. Under the document, citizens must sort their waste, while companies must dispose of waste or send it for recycling. These measures are expected to improve the country’s environmental situation. Landfill sites in the Moscow Region have already stopped accepting waste. Household waste is now sent for recycling.

Residents of the Kuchino neighbourhood in the city of Balashikha, home to a huge landfill, sought to minimise the environmental damage. The work cost almost RUB 4 billion. Since the 2017 Direct Line programme, where the issue of waste disposal was raised, the problematic landfill has been remediated. It has now been replaced by green hills with a winding path.

The entire hill is a former landfill, and it now resembles a large layered cake. A tremendous amount of work was carried out here. First, the waste mound was dismantled, then it was organised; a layer of waste was laid down, followed by a layer of soil, and the whole structure was secured with a membrane mesh to prevent it from spreading. Then another layer of waste and a layer of soil were added, after which natural processes took over. Decomposition in the soil will continue for decades.

The landfill was remembered not only for its depressing landscape but also for its unpleasant smell. The hydrogen sulphide has not disappeared; it is simply covered with a special film. The gas released by the waste is purified through a system of main pipelines and sent to the degassing facility.

Pavel Kolesnik, gas service operator at the Kuchino landfill: “The gas can simply be burned, but that is inefficient. In the future, it is planned to use it as fuel for generating electricity. There are two gas-fired thermal power plants here that will generate electricity. For now, however, the gas is simply burned.”

In addition, the landfill has a modern drainage and toxic leachate collection system. Leachate is released as waste decomposes. Local residents confirm that the environmental situation in the area is now under control, and the landfill has become a place visited on guided tours. “There is absolutely no smell here. Well, some people say there is still a smell. We come here every weekend and do not smell anything,” says a local resident.

Another successful remediation project is located in Pushkinsky District. The Tsaryovo landfill covered 22 hectares and polluted the surrounding environment. Since 2021, it has also been a flourishing hill.

Ivan Studenikin, Deputy Head of the Administration of the Pushkinsky Urban District: “We have a section where a stream emerges, under the road and under the Central Ring Road, and a duck raised its young there. I do not think a duck would raise its young in a dirty place.”

The question now is how such large areas can be put to beneficial use. For example, in Israel, an eco-park was created on the site of a remediated landfill. It receives up to 3,000 visitors every weekend. A similar project is planned for the Moscow Region. Various media outlets have even reported on a planned ski slope project in the Kuchino neighbourhood, but no final decision has yet been made.

Pavel Bida, First Deputy Minister of Ecology and Environmental Management of the Moscow Region: “The point is that this is currently a work in progress, which we are coordinating with the developers of the landfill projects, the relevant authorities and investors. Some want to locate one facility here, while others want something else.”

While addressing the waste problem, Moscow and regional officials are actively adopting international experience. All 39 old-style landfill sites have been closed, and most waste is now becoming secondary raw material. To achieve this, 11 waste processing complexes were built in the Moscow Region. Anything that cannot be recycled—the so-called residues—is sent for disposal in landfills. However, from the end of 2023, these residues will be processed at new waste thermal treatment facilities, which are still under construction. In addition, officials have launched various programmes for local residents to further promote responsible waste management. One example is eco-taxi.

Anton Velikhovsky, Minister of Housing and Utilities of the Moscow Region: “We came up with this option in the Moscow Region and are now implementing it. You can order a vehicle, it will come to your home, and the staff will load and take away a sofa, wardrobe, some furniture or anything else that the owner wants to dispose of properly.”

In addition, the region is addressing the issue of construction waste. New facilities are being built very actively in the region, generating around 50 million cubic metres of waste annually—the highest volume in Russia. This waste is now also being processed. There are 81 sites in the region where this work is carried out. They have checkpoints, photo and video recording, and dosimetric monitoring. Those who dump waste at illegal sites face fines. This applies not only to construction companies. Without such measures, it will not be possible to develop a culture of responsible waste management.

Original article https://www.ntv.ru/novosti/2713623/

Photo: https://balashiha.ru/

Video: https://www.ntv.ru/video/2124850/