Krasnodar Krai declares high alert over landfills — The Moscow Times
Russia's Krasnodar Krai — an aggressor state — has introduced a high-alert regime due to exhausted capacity at waste management facilities. Governor Veniamin Kondratyev made the decision on October 22 for 10 districts, including Sochi and Novorossiysk, The Moscow Times reports.
Risk of waste accumulation
The governor's decree refers to the threat of a regional emergency. Disruptions in garbage collection could lead to its accumulation in cities and villages, the emergence of illegal dumps, and the spread of infectious diseases carried by rodents and insects.
The decree was published five days after it was signed. Some landfills are already being used as temporary waste storage sites, while others are undergoing reconstruction, which, according to the regional headquarters, will require considerable time. Authorities said garbage would continue to be collected regularly along existing routes.
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Construction of complexes postponed
The high-alert regime will remain in effect until landfill reconstruction is completed, the necessary permits are obtained, and new municipal waste processing complexes are built. According to the regional headquarters, 10 such facilities are currently under construction.
Deputy Governor Yevgeny Pergun was instructed to prepare a plan for the construction and modernization of waste treatment and disposal facilities, while operators were advised to keep existing landfills operating until the threat is eliminated.
In 2024, the regional prosecutor's office reported that nine of the 15 municipal waste disposal facilities were full and that there were no legally operating landfills in coastal districts. Of the nine facilities planned as part of the reform, including eight processing complexes, none had opened by 2026. Construction deadlines were postponed to 2027–2028. The region allocated 36.8 billion rubles for its waste management program through 2030.
