Comparative Analysis of Solid Municipal Waste Management Systems in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus

Abstract

The purpose is a comparative analysis of solid municipal waste (MSW) management systems in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. Materials and methods. The sources of information were materials from relevant departments in the fi eld of environmental protection and environmental safety, data from state statistics of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. Statistical methods, methods of analysis and comparison were used. Results and discussion. The experience of the Republic of Belarus in the fi eld of waste management is considered, as well as an assessment of the level of formation and disposal of MSW in the Russian Federation is given. Some issues of the legislative framework in the fi eld of MSW management are analyzed. A comparative analysis of targets and key characteristics of MSW management systems in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus has been carried out. Conclusions. A comparative analysis of waste management systems has shown that neither the Russian Federation nor the Republic of Belarus achieve the same level of recycling as European countries, which on average recycle more than 50 % of MSW. At the same time, there is a fairly high growth rate in the share of MSW use in the Republic of Belarus due to the implementation of state policy regarding the collection and harvesting of secondary material resources. In the Russian Federation, the steady share of waste directed to recycling indicates that an increase in the amount of waste directed to processing does not lead to an increase in the volume of recycling. There is a lack of unifi ed indicators for evaluating the eff ectiveness of government policies in the fi eld of waste management.