Multi-colored containers and two types of waste: how separate waste collection is organized in the Moscow region. Multi-colored containers and two types of waste: how separate waste collection is organized in the Moscow region Separate waste collection

Our country is mired in rubbish. More than 50 million tons of waste is sent to landfills every year. And this number is growing every year. Almost all waste in Russia ends up in landfills, contaminating the water we drink and releasing dangerous substances into the air we breathe. Every year more and more land is allocated for landfills. In some cities, as an alternative to landfills, the construction of expensive and extremely dangerous waste incinerators is being proposed. They poison the air and turn relatively harmless waste into toxic ash, which also has to be landfilled. The share of waste recycling in Russia is at the level of 3-5%, which is an order of magnitude less than in European countries Oh. For example, in Germany, 65% of waste is recycled, and in San Francisco - more than 80%.

Just a few facts about garbage:

. 100,000 marine animals and 1,000,000 birds are killed each year by mistaking plastic for food;
. 1 battery pollutes 20 square meters of land, and this is the territory of one hedgehog and two moles;
. 60 kg of waste paper saves one tree;
. garbage dumps in Russia are already occupying space, equal to the area Switzerland;
. if a tower with a base of 1x1 meter is built from the waste that the inhabitants of Russia throw away annually, then it will be possible to climb up to the moon;
. every year in Russia the territory for landfills increases by an area equal to Moscow and St. Petersburg combined;
. each of us throws out 400 kg of garbage a year.

What separate collection garbage?

Separate waste collection is a system in which waste is divided into several types in order to reuse them and produce new products from them at special plants. This approach greatly reduces Negative influence on the environment, which would be produced by discarded garbage rotting in landfills, and also reduces the need for mining (including non-renewable) natural resources to manufacture products from scratch. Material recycling is about saving energy and resources and preventing air and water pollution.

In most yards, garbage collection tanks now look like this

or like this

And these are containers for separate collection of garbage in Arkhangelsk.

Yellow - for plastic, glass and aluminum. Blue - for paper and cardboard. Bright colors allow them to stand out and be different from the usual ones, and pictures and inscriptions make sorting easier. At almost all sites, such containers are locked and have small (often not very convenient) openings. This is done for the purpose of anti-vandal protection.
In Severodvinsk containers for separate garbage collection look like this

or like this

In Arkhangelsk, a separate waste collection project began in November 2014. AT this moment There are over 40 container yards in the city. You can see the addresses of sites with containers for separate waste collection at EcoMap Arkhangelsk region.

What can be recycled?

The range of waste accepted for processing in Arkhangelsk is listed below. For Severodvinsk, it is somewhat wider.

Plastic:

. PET bottles from under water, drinks + corks;
. bottles of detergents (shampoo, household chemicals);
. packing tape;
. plastic cans;
. fruit plastic crates
Covers and labels can be left on. bottles from under vegetable oil not accepted.

Glass:

. glass bottles;
. jars (glass containers).
Bottles can not be washed, labels can not be removed. Light bulbs can be thrown away only energy-saving LED.

Metal:

. aluminum cans;
. cans.
Aerosol bottles (hairspray, air freshener) are not accepted.

Paper:

. newspapers magazines;
. books;
. carton boxes;
. office paper.
Packaging from juices and dairy products (tetra-pack) is not accepted, as it is very difficult and not economically feasible to recycle. Paper towels, napkins, paper egg containers, toilet paper rolls are also not accepted, as they are the final stages of paper recycling.

For convenience, there is such a colorful visual scheme.

In the Moscow region, a pilot project is being implemented for the separate collection of waste in, where special containers are installed for this. Separate waste collection, as a result of which part of the waste is sent for recycling for further use, will reduce the burden on landfills. Where in the Moscow region they have already begun to introduce the practice of separate waste collection and how to properly sort it at home, read the site in the material of the portal.

Pilot regions

Source: Ministry of Ecology and Nature Management of the Moscow Region

In the Moscow region in 2017, 13 pilot municipalities were identified, where separate waste collection will be organized. The project included: Balashikha, Podolsk, Shatura, Lakes, Dolgoprudny, Solnechnogorsk, Khimki, Domodedovo, Dubna, Noginsk.

However, in Mytishchi, the system of separate waste collection has been implemented since 2009. There is a waste recycling center in the district and more than 300 have been installed. In Mytishchi, about 10-12% of the waste is not buried, but recycled. So, every month the inhabitants of Mytishchi hand over about 70 tons of waste paper, 30 tons of glass and 30 tons of plastic waste.

According to Sergey Ivanov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport, the experience of Mytishchi is indicative and promising for the whole country.

Containers and recycling

The pilot project envisages the installation in these 13 municipalities two types of containers. First, containers of blue color for "dry" garbage, the second - gray for "wet". “Dry” garbage includes plastic, paper, metal, glass, etc., while “wet” garbage is food and vegetable waste.

In the Moscow region, they will process garbage from blue containers, and they intend to continue to transport waste from gray containers for disposal and disposal.

According to the program of the organization separate garbage in the municipalities that are included in the pilot project, the creation of waste sorting points is implied. In Mytishchi, such a point is already working.

In addition to containers in two colors for different types garbage in the Moscow region will organize and collect especially hazardous waste, which include batteries, thermometers, fluorescent lamps. To date, there are more than 1 thousand places in the Moscow region where hazardous waste can be handed over, their addresses are marked on the map.

Separate garbage collection rules

In Russia, there are many problems that lead to low recycling rates. One of them is the lack of an established waste sorting system and the skepticism of the inhabitants, who do not see the point in this, and therefore throw everything into one heap. To justify their indifference, people usually give banal excuses based on general misconceptions. Recycle has listed the most popular garbage sorting and recycling myths that are not true.

There are no processing plants in Russia

In Russia, there really is no centralized system for the collection and processing of waste. However, this does not mean that garbage sorting is a useless exercise. In many cities of the Russian Federation there are processing plants that earn on recyclable materials, and therefore are interested in its processing. For example, the Plarus plant in Solnechnogorsk and the RB-group company in Gus-Khrustalny process plastic, while the Kolyakovo enterprise and the Cardboard and Paper Mill produce new products from waste paper. Other types of waste are also recyclable.

We don't have a lot of recycling points.

One of the common misconceptions is that in Russia there is nowhere to take recyclables. In fact, there are a myriad of collection points for separate waste. In Moscow alone, there are several hundred of them, and all are marked on the map. You can choose a point that is convenient for you, which is close to home.

Garbage smells bad

It is important to understand the difference between food and household waste: the latter cannot rot, exuding a stench. In the case of waste paper, there is nothing to smell bad. Glass, plastic and aluminum containers can be rinsed from leftover food in a few seconds - faster than a plate after dinner. Washing Tetra Pak takes a little longer, but it will also take a minute. Pure plastic, glass, paper and aluminum are automatically equated with ordinary dishes that are stored on the kitchen shelves.

To sort waste, you need to buy expensive containers

If you want to save on the purchase of special containers for collecting recyclables, you can use regular cardboard boxes and large bags (preferably reusable) instead. Garbage doesn't care where it is. For those who don't like corrugated boxes and giant bags aesthetically, there are others. budget options. For example, IKEA offers many inexpensive containers. They are doubly convenient in that they are sold with lids and can be stacked on top of each other, saving space in the apartment.

Trash takes up too much space

In any apartment there is one square meter for a cardboard box or two small tanks. Sorting waste doesn't require a million multi-colored bins in the kitchen. It is enough to allocate a little space on the balcony or in the closet. It will be a little more difficult for owners of one-room apartments without a loggia and a pantry, however, in this case, you can find a solution. For example, put a recyclable box under a table or chair in the kitchen, or make room for it in a closet.

In addition, waste can be reduced in volume: folding tetra pak packaging, compressing aluminum and plastic jars, insert one cup of yogurt into another. The containers will fill up more slowly, which means you will have to travel to the recycling center less often.

It takes a lot of time and a car to take out the trash.

With proper storage of waste, you will have to take out the garbage no more than once a month or two. To do this, it is not necessary to have a personal car - just ask for help from friends or acquaintances who have a car. But first, make sure that there is no good recycling center within walking distance of you. If there is one, then the problem will be automatically solved. If not, then there are several other options.

In many cities of Russia there are companies that provide services for the removal of garbage from the house. In Moscow, this is the Clean City project. In addition, there is a social network of volunteers on the Internet for free collection of separate waste. The Collector project operates in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo, Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk, Novokuznetsk and Kyiv.

If you want volunteers to take your garbage to a recycling center, you need to register on the site and leave a request. It will automatically appear on the map and will be visible to other users of the social network.

Waste sorting and recycling consumes a lot of natural resources

Many people believe that sorting and recycling waste provokes unnecessary consumption of water, electricity and gasoline, which is wasted in the process of transporting recyclables. However, the production of new products takes several times more resources than the recycling of waste. And the water from one bathroom, which many people fill every day, is enough to wash more than 120 bottles and cans.

If you are confused by the exhaust gases that are generated during trips to recycling centers, imagine how much of them are produced daily on the way to work. This is a reason to use more public transport. A trip by metro once a month compensates for the trip to the collection point by car.

In Russia, nothing is made from garbage

Abroad, everything is made from garbage, from clothing to building materials. In Russia, the market for recycled goods is smaller, but it exists. And most people don't even know they are using recycled products. Hygiene supplies, magazines, books and newspapers, furniture, packaging and - this is just not most of what is sold in Russia.

Batteries are not recycled in Russia

A year ago, this was true. However, in December 2013, a battery recycling line was launched at Chelyabinsk. This was implemented with the participation of the Media Markt chain of stores, which launched a large-scale campaign to collect used batteries. Batteries are now accepted in 63 Media Markt supermarkets in 28 Russian cities. In just 7 months, the program managed to collect more than 300,000 batteries with a total weight of more than 7 tons.

Old things have a place in the garbage

The classic excuse - "everything in life will come in handy" - leads to a balcony clogged with junk. Therefore, try to audit your things at least once a year. Among them, there will surely be those that you have not needed for a long time, but will be useful to someone else. After all, not all old things have a place in the garbage. Read books can be given to Tverskaya, where there is special shelf for bookcrossing.

In the case of clothing and footwear, there are many more options. Among them are the further processing of textiles into new fabrics and assistance to those in need. In St. Petersburg, there are projects "Peremolka" and "Thank you", which are installed throughout the city. They recycle clothes that are unsuitable for wear, and donate the rest of the wardrobe items to various charitable foundations.

In addition, old things can be handed over to, where they are given a 15% discount, and. The Doctor Liza Foundation and the Good Box project also operate in Moscow, which collect things for those who really need them. Another great option- donate clothes to the church: here they will be glad to see them and find a worthy use. AT major cities Russia also regularly hosts freemarkets and charity events where you can bring unnecessary things.

Muscovites need to instill a culture of waste management, said the mayor of the Russian capital, Sergei Sobyanin. The first stage on this path, according to the mayor, is the creation of a separate collection infrastructure.

We hear dialogues about packages every day in the supermarket. Everyone knows that polyethylene "shirts" decompose for hundreds of years, but they continue to buy them. And now at home there is already a huge bag of bags, which sooner or later will also go to the trash can.

True, we must pay tribute, reusable bags and eco-friendly bags began to appear in Russian stores. Increasingly, they can be seen not only on the shelves, but also in the hands of our fellow citizens. In general, with the culture of consumption, everything is relatively clear: take goods with less packaging, refuse endless packages. But you can't do without it at all. And how to be further? How to deal with garbage in order to minimize the damage to nature? According to experts, one of the most viable options The solution to the problem is the transition to separate waste collection.

In general, this practice for Russia is not so new. AT Soviet time reception points, for example, glass containers and waste paper, were available in almost every yard. For old notebooks and newspapers, people received coupons for books, and for glass bottles - money. Thus, on the one hand, it was possible to save money on the production of new bottles, and on the other hand, excellent recyclable materials for new paper products appeared. In the 1990s, everything was forgotten and abandoned, so now the system must be created from scratch.

In the capital, they began to seriously engage in this quite recently. The first attempts were made in 2014-2015. At that time, about 26 stationary waste collection points and 27 mobile ones were installed in Moscow. Only three districts were covered: Northern, North-Eastern and South-Western. Of course, for a mass transition to new system this was not enough, but it became clear that, in general, with good level infrastructure development, Muscovites are ready to start sorting again.

Today, separate waste collection is understood as at least the separation of waste into food and non-food. Most of the second is subject to further processing. For example, waste paper is used to make toilet paper, egg cartons and other paper products, and the glass is sent to cullet for processing and creating new glass products (therefore even broken glass is accepted).

670 recycled cans = 1 bike 54 kg newsprint = 1 tree; using 10% cullet = 3% gas savings.

In December 2017, the President of the Russian Federation signed a law establishing separate waste collection. The relevant article of the law, as amended by federal legislation in the field of production and consumption waste, will come into force on January 1, 2019. Contracts have already been concluded for the creation of infrastructure for sorting, transporting and processing waste with five companies: Charter LLC, EcoLine LLC, MKM-Logistika LLC, MSK-NT LLC, Spetstrans LLC. True, there is no single legal act that would clearly regulate their activities, so companies set their own rules in each district. The appearance of the reception points also depends on the operator. For example, these can be pavilions with holes or mesh containers.

The categories of waste received also vary. Traditionally, they are divided into paper, plastic, glass and aluminum. Some companies have different compartments for different categories, while others have some combined. In both cases, most often one car is involved in the removal, from which many residents conclude that the garbage goes to the landfill and there is no further processing.

We used to drive four cars, but the waste is still mixed up, sometimes people throw something in the wrong place, so we decided not to drive several cars just like that.”

Experts of the Research Institute of Ecological and General Design JSC note that if the mixing of glass, metal and plastic is acceptable, since they really require further sorting at the factory, then the percentage of paper and cardboard suitable for reuse, in which case it is significantly reduced. Contaminated waste paper is not amenable to the recycling process, so it should be taken out separately.

Questions are sometimes raised by the principle of installing containers. For example, in the Khoroshevsky district, separate waste collection requires real efforts from residents - to get close to the mesh container, you either need to move a heavy trash can or show miracles of dexterity.

“As a deputy, I constantly receive complaints that these containers exist, but they do not fulfill their function, there is no way for responsible citizens to throw sorted garbage there,” Lyubov Yakubovskaya, an employee of the Security Center, told the website. wildlife and municipal deputy of the Khoroshevsky district.

In addition to optimizing the operation of existing points, it is necessary to create new points. Now there are still not enough of them for a full-fledged transition to the new system. For example, in the same Khoroshevsky district, there are 34 streets and, according to the map, there are only three points for separate waste collection. It turns out that there are 11 streets per container. “According to government contracts, one item for recyclables is set up for 12.5 thousand inhabitants, this is extremely insufficient,” the head of the environmental public organization"ECA Movement" Tatyana Chestina. “We need municipal authorities to get involved and, if necessary, subsidize recycling containers in every yard.”

Another major obstacle to the introduction of a culture of separate waste collection is the lack of any system for informing citizens. Often people do not even realize that they have such points in their area. To cope with this problem, the city authorities launched in 2015 interactive map recycling points - however, today it is completely useless due to the lack of updates.

In addition, in order to trust the system of separate waste collection (SRW), people must understand why sorting waste, how exactly to do it and where it will end up in the future. “We need to install signs and instructions, create a transparent waste logistics scheme, organize information support on the Internet,” Olga Zatsepina, head of the EcoStandard group’s environmental design department, told the website. Many, for example, still do not realize that in the Moscow region there are more than 400 processing enterprises and almost all of them are experiencing a shortage of recyclables. In addition, according to Zatsepina, it is necessary to conduct centralized environmental education in various levels: in schools, universities, offices of commercial companies and government agencies.

In general, if there are enough containers, sorting requires a minimum of effort. At home, it is enough to allocate a small place for waste paper and have only two containers for garbage: one for non-recyclable waste and the second for everything else. There are also not so many rules for waste collection. It is enough to carefully read the labels on the containers in order to weed out non-recyclable types of plastic and not to confuse paper and tetra-pack, from which most juice and milk bags are made. It is enough to rinse and squeeze the containers so that they take up less space. Some operators may also ask you to remove the cap and label from the bottle.

The installation of disposers in the sink in apartments can further simplify the process of collecting waste, says Valeria Korostelyova, founder of the Moscow branch of the Separate Collection movement. “All food waste goes there, then you get mixed garbage once a week,” the leader of the movement explained to the website. In addition, such a decision will reduce the load on landfills near Moscow, since food waste makes up about 30% of all municipal waste in the capital.

The main wastewater treatment plants in Moscow are capable of processing sludge Wastewater and produce biogas. “Disposers can be introduced according to a similar scheme, according to which water meters were introduced: the grinder is a license plate device, everyone who installed it and registered it in Moscow is reduced the fee for garbage collection,” the ECA Movement suggests. “The second option is that the shredders are installed by the city at the expense of a housing subsidy.”

Of course, while the RSO in Moscow is just beginning to develop, before the system is fully launched, Muscovites and city authorities need to take many more steps towards meeting each other. But practice shows that the capital definitely has opportunities for the transition to a civilized waste management. Significant assistance to the residents of the capital is provided by volunteer movements and projects: they publish helpful tips, teach how to achieve the installation of a container in their yard, and organize mobile reception points where official operators have not yet reached. Often, Muscovites just need to open the map, find the nearest point and start acting.

Separate waste collection is one of the ways to reduce the environmental burden on the environment. The contents of our trash cans consist mainly of four parts: organic waste(food leftovers), plastic, glass and paper. These materials are recyclable.

The separation of MSW allows not to contaminate materials suitable for food with food residues. recycling, keeps recycled materials intact and prevents rotting and bacterial growth.

It should be noted that separate waste is a concept that begins to work primarily “from below”: it is necessary to sort waste starting from the level of individuals, and the effectiveness of this method largely depends on the conscientiousness of sorting. This approach requires responsibility and awareness.

Separate waste collection allows you to unload landfills and sorting lines of waste processing plants and reduce pollution environment. The decay products of garbage pollute both the air and the water bodies from which it comes. drinking water, and soil.

Advantages and benefits of separate collection

The principle of waste separation can make life easier in many ways - both at the level of individuals and at the level of the state. In countries where waste separation has long been practiced, there are “environmental incentives” for individuals and businesses: you can get a discount on utility services or, in the case of industries, subsidies and tax breaks.

At the same time, enterprises that separate waste receive not only monetary benefits: people interested in preserving the environment begin to be more loyal to them and their products.

In the case of individuals, the benefits are more moral than material - the opportunity to feel their contribution to the cleansing and preservation of our planet, to feel their own usefulness. However, there is also a material component: in many countries, the delivery of separated waste will allow you to earn some extra money.

On a national scale, the initial sorting of MSW also benefits. First, it creates additional jobs for processing plants, in waste transportation. Secondly, it allows you to save non-renewable resources like oil and natural gas, from which plastic and most synthetic fibers are made.

There is also no need for the state to allocate large areas for landfills and landfills, appearance urban and rural areas, the stability of ecosystems, and the attitude of that part of the electorate that is interested in environmental issues.

Cons and problems of separate collection

One of the main disadvantages is a rather slow payback. Processing companies need long time in order to “recapture” investments, therefore, for small businesses, this area without consolidation or government subsidies is practically unmanageable.

The cost of processing equipment remains high even without the inclusion of automatic sorting lines, and finding workers for this area is much more difficult than for an office - it is not prestigious.

The secondary raw material market in our country is poorly developed, so it may happen that citizens sort out garbage, but there is nowhere to recycle it in their city.

Another stumbling block is the irresponsible attitude of people and their unwillingness to create additional work for themselves. It is much easier to throw out the garbage all in a crowd, without thinking about where it will go later. On the other hand, there is a certain mistrust towards the authorities and processing enterprises: “separate, do not divide, everything is the same - it will just go to the landfill, nothing is done right here.”

sorting process

The very first stage of sorting is to separate food waste from other waste. If you live in apartment building, organics, most likely, will have to continue to be thrown into the garbage chute. For residents of the private sector, this category of waste is sent to compost.

• paper;
• plastic (mainly bottles);
• glass;
• metal (cans from drinks, canned food).

To begin with, you can start collecting only paper and cardboard, especially if you have not yet agreed with the household on the separation of waste. There is a waste paper collection point in most cities. Collecting waste paper will allow you to get used to the idea of ​​separate waste, and at paper collection points you can find out where other categories of waste are accepted.

Plastic bottles, aluminum cans and tetra-packs are best pressed together so that they do not take up much space. In other words, flatten. You can buy a home press, but just the strength of your hands or your own weight will be enough. The main thing - do not forget to unscrew the cap. You can also give compactness to aluminum cans.

You can store sorted garbage before removal at home, on a balcony or in a closet, or you can negotiate with neighbors in the stairwell or at the entrance and, with the help of the management company, arrange your own tanks for different materials.

Separate waste collection in Russia

One of the reasons why waste sorting and production from recycled materials is not commercialized in Russia, as, for example, in Europe, is the high cost of recycling compared to the low cost of landfill. European scavengers a ton of hard household waste, taken to the burial, costs a thousand euros, and Russian - only fifteen.

Tariffs for the removal of unsorted waste abroad are also much higher, so many people there think not so much about the ecological situation and the preservation of the environment, but about simple savings.

Legislation

Legislation in Russia in the field of waste separation is just beginning to appear. So, on December 31, 2017, the President signed a law on introducing separate waste collection and providing incentive measures. The article of the law amending the federal legislation in the field of production and consumption waste comes into force on January 1, 2019. Since January 2018, many categories of waste are prohibited from being buried in landfills. Previously, a separate license was required to install waste separation tanks, but now the procedure has been simplified. This allows us to hope for the development of a waste separation and recycling system in Russia.

The law also regulates the placement of waste processing complexes - now, for their arrangement on the territory, a resolution of citizens living in this territory will be required. The placement of tanks and garbage disposal will also have to be approved at meetings of homeowners and management companies.

Prior to the adoption of these laws, the initiative was mainly raised from below - from environmental activists. Since the 2000s, Greenpeace Russia has been carrying out projects for the separation of solid waste in certain areas of Moscow and St. Petersburg, campaigns where you can hand over separated waste from any area.

Separate waste collection points

Finding separate waste collection points in the city or region where you live is quite simple: most of them are official organizations marked on the maps. Any help here search system navigation - Yandex, Google, DoubleGis, although information about addresses, phone numbers and opening hours is sometimes updated out of time there.

On the Greenpeace website, you can use interactive map(http://recyclemap.ru/), which lists garbage collection points. The default region is Moscow Oblast, but you can switch it by zooming the map and clicking on the capital of your region.

The map is convenient in that you can determine what type (or several types) of waste you need to hand over, and get the addresses of collection points in the output:

• paper;
• glass;
• plastic;
• metal;
• clothes;
• hazardous waste;
• batteries;
• lamps;
• household appliances;
• tetrapack packages;
• other waste.

The separation of MSW is also practiced by many chain stores: collection of batteries, disposable containers. Tanks for different types waste are installed at the stations of Russian railways.

Separate waste collection projects

Separate waste collection projects are systematically held in many large cities - in addition to Moscow and St. Petersburg, also in Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Perm, Tula, Kirov, Novokuznetsk, Ulan-Ude and others.

Separate waste collection at the enterprise

Even more than in city apartments and private houses, it is advisable to arrange places for separate waste collection at enterprises. Since much more waste is generated there due to the volume of production, then there will be correspondingly more income from garbage. Yes, and in accordance with the new law, industries that are responsible for waste will receive benefits.

For most organizations, the transition to a solid waste separation system will be much easier than for individuals, if only because, according to fire and biological safety requirements, many of them have long been storing different types of waste separately. For example, oiled rags or sawdust according to fire safety requirements, they must be collected in containers made of non-combustible material with lids.

Overseas experience

In Europe, waste separation has been practiced for a long time - some elements of this system were used back in the fifties of the last century, and the practice of waste separation began to be fully applied from the eighties in the Netherlands. Today it is one of the most clean countries, and there are no more than two dozen landfills left in it (before the introduction of sorting and recycling of garbage, there were more than two hundred).

In most developed European countries, the "garbage" industry is supervised by the state and regulated at the legislative level. In Germany, for example, businesses and individuals found to be careless with waste are required to pay a “pig tax” – contributions to the budget, which are then spent on the elimination of unauthorized dumps.

Note! There is a common EU-wide tank color standard: green for glass, blue for paper, yellow for cardboard, black for food waste, brown for hazardous waste like batteries, orange for plastic, and red for non-recyclable waste.

In Switzerland, the separation of waste is also enshrined in law: you need to use special containers installed near the houses, and you can get a big fine for mixed waste. Everything that is not suitable for these containers will have to be taken to a landfill on their own - access to which is opened with an electronic key card. To get a card, the Swiss pay a fee to the local administration.

Futuristic-looking containers for different types of containers, batteries, clothes, shoes, paper and plastic are installed in the Czech Republic. Most residents here have three departments in buckets (plastic, paper, mixed waste), and each house has a corresponding tank. Walking around the city, you can see glass tanks of different colors.

The closest neighbors, the Republic of Belarus, have also been practicing solid waste separation since 2009. The container system installed in Minsk made it possible to collect almost ten tons of garbage already in the first year of the program, and over the past time the figure of the annual “harvest” has increased several times. All this is sent for processing. There are collection points for batteries and light bulbs, but there are no recycling facilities for them yet.

Important! The colors of the Belarusian tanks do not match the European ones: green is for paper, yellow is for plastic, blue is for glass.

An informative video on why it is important to separate waste and what to do if there are no separate collection containers within walking distance:

The recent law means that soon we will have to separate the garbage one way or another, it is worth starting now. The state can use the experience of MSW separation in other countries, but the responsibility lies with individuals. There is nothing difficult about throwing plastic to plastic, and paper to paper.