Combating invasive plants and new projects in waste management. Viktor Galanov on the environmental situation in the Vitebsk region

— In 2020, Belarusian ecologists are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the service's establishment. How do you preserve the memory of those who created it in the Vitebsk region, ensure the continuity of traditions, and how do you manage to maintain the corporate spirit through the years and instill it in new generations of environmental specialists?

— Indeed, this year is a jubilee for our service. It should be noted that continuity and the development of traditions in environmental protection are given great attention at the state level. A legal framework has been created that allows for clear regulation and control of the use of natural resources.

Each generation of ecologists contributes to the formation and development of the environmental protection service, but at all times, the common task remains unchanged: to protect and preserve the environment. After all, our region is a corner of unique nature, an object of close attention for those who wish to see and learn about the authentic Belarus. Well-preserved forest, lake-river, and swamp complexes, unique natural monuments, rich hunting and fishing grounds – all this attracts numerous tourists to the northern region. A number of protected natural areas in the Vitebsk region have the status of UNESCO monuments. Our land serves as a source of mineral resources significant for the country's economic development.

The team of the committee and inspections consists of people with an active life position, like-minded individuals who do a lot to ensure a favorable environment. The stability of the team is evidenced by the fact that more than 25% of specialists in our structure have been working for at least 10 years. At the origins of the service creation were Nikolay Nikolaevich Odintsov, Nikolay Vasilyevich Kalina, Viktor Pavlovich Alifirenko, Bronislav Viktorovich Plavinsky. These people, dedicating their own strength, experience, and knowledge, laid the foundation for the modern environmental protection service and determined the strategic directions of ecologists' activities. We rightly take pride in our veterans, as well as those who today ensure the authority of the committee — these are Pyotr Vasilyevich Duk, Zhanna Valerianovna Aleinikova, Yury Valeryevich Korolyov, Lidiya Afanasyevna Osipenkova, Alexander Evgenyevich Voevodov. They are true students of their noble teachers.

— What issues first came to the attention of ecologists last year, and what environmental aspects are you focusing on today?

— In 2019, ecologists of the Vitebsk region joined the effort to solve the problem of minimizing the use of polymer packaging. The regional committee for natural resources and environmental protection, together with interested departments, prepared an action plan for the phased reduction of polymer packaging use and its replacement with environmentally friendly alternatives. The document, designed for the period up to 2025, provides for the introduction of a container system for separate collection of municipal waste in areas of individual housing construction in Vitebsk, Novopolotsk, and district centers, as well as the organization of separate waste collection in rural areas and horticultural associations. Among the measures are also the decommissioning of all mini-landfills for solid municipal waste, the construction of facilities for sorting and processing municipal waste, and the development of production and use of environmentally friendly packaging.

In addition, much attention is currently paid to the implementation of "green economy" principles, energy-saving technologies for treating atmospheric air emissions and wastewater, and waste recycling and utilization, which makes it possible to reduce harmful environmental impact.

To preserve biological and landscape diversity, work continues to identify and protect typical and rare natural landscapes and biotopes, and to prevent the spread of Sosnowsky's hogweed and other invasive plant species.

In addition, activities aimed at improving land management, landscaping, and greening of settlements remain relevant, with the environmental service acting as the coordinator.

— When is the waste sorting plant in Vitebsk scheduled to open, what aspects does the environmental service focus on when preparing the facility for operation? What other significant projects, in your assessment, are being implemented in the field of waste management?

— The plant is scheduled to be commissioned this summer. It has already been built, and the equipment has been delivered and installed. Commissioning and setup work is to be carried out by foreign specialists, whose arrival is currently uncertain due to the epidemiological situation. The plant is designed to receive and sort municipal waste with a volume of 100 thousand tons per year, extracting secondary material resources for subsequent use – PET bottles, plastics, organic waste.