Since 2017, 27 waste landfills have been reclaimed in the Moscow Region. This work is underpinned by complex engineering efforts. The region had the honour of becoming a pioneer in this important work. Specialists developed the entire process themselves.
Back in 2017, the Moscow Region was facing an enormous waste burden: around 20% of the country's waste was disposed of in the region, landfills occupied more than 600 ha and polluted the soil, air and water, while residents of nearby settlements were protesting. In response, the waste reform began. The Moscow Region became the first region in Russia to begin reclaiming sites with accumulated environmental damage. The work was carried out as part of the federal project «Clean Country» under the national project «Ecology».
Specialists developed a reclamation plan for MSW landfills, which includes the following successive stages: surveys, project development, expert review, financing, the technical reclamation stage (formation of the landfill body, installation of protective geomembrane systems, installation of degassing, leachate collection and treatment systems), the biological reclamation stage and operation of the reclaimed site.
Today, landfill reclamation technologies have been fully developed. For example, modern landfills use geosynthetic materials during reclamation. Thus, at the technical reclamation stage at the Nepeyno landfill, a HydrOks profiled waterproofing geomembrane manufactured by TechPolymer is used to create the protective shell.
"A geomembrane is a geosynthetic material. HydrOks, two millimetres thick, what is it used for? It is a material that is heat-welded and prevents atmospheric precipitation from penetrating the landfill body and prevents gas from escaping... like a sarcophagus... like armour," explained Alexey Karpov, Head of the Pre-Design and Design Development Department at the Moscow Region State Budgetary Institution "Directorate of Environmental Projects".
"Ecopulse" and "Channel 360" produced a film about the technologies used at the largest waste landfills in the Moscow Region: "Kuchino", "Yadrovo", "Tsarevo", "Parfenovo", "Chastsy", "Kulakovsky". Work to eliminate the accumulated environmental damage has already been completed at these sites, and the former landfill areas now look like green hills. At five other landfills in the Moscow Region, including the "Volovichi", "Nepeyno" and "Lesnaya" landfills, reclamation is nearing completion.
As a result of reclamation in the Moscow Region, more than 300 ha of land has become safe, and almost 2.5 million residents have experienced improvements.
