On compliance with environmental legislation

The prosecutor's offices of the Vitebsk region conducted an inspection of compliance with environmental legislation in the handling of municipal waste in settlements and horticultural associations, during which a number of legislative violations were identified.

In particular, facts of non-compliance with established requirements for container sites and containers for collecting solid municipal waste located in settlements are widespread. Such sites are not always kept clean, equipped with artificial waterproof coating, and have proper fencing; containers often lack lids and require repair. Such shortcomings have been identified in many regions (Braslavsky, Lioznensky, Lepelsky, Ushachsky, Shumilinsky, Gluboksky districts, Vitebsk city, etc.). Violations of the frequency of municipal waste removal and container overflow for their collection occur (Lioznensky, Chashniksky districts, Vitebsk city).

Due to the fact that horticultural associations do not timely submit applications for waste removal, containers overflow, and unauthorized waste placement near and around horticultural associations occurs (Polotsky, Postavsky districts).

There are shortcomings in the regional schemes for municipal waste management, which regulate the procedure for collecting and removing municipal waste from settlements and horticultural associations, when the actual number of container sites and containers for waste collection and their location do not correspond to the similar information contained in the scheme; the procedure for collecting and removing municipal waste in some settlements is not regulated (Chashniksky, Dokshitsky, Shumilinsky, Braslavsky districts).

The collection of certain types of waste requiring a special collection system is not properly organized everywhere. For example, the collection of expired medicines from the population is not established in Shumilinsky, Postavsky, Gorodoksky, and some other districts.

Shortcomings are allowed in the operation of solid municipal waste disposal facilities.

Thus, isolated facts have been identified of secondary material resources being present at these sites, which are not subject to disposal (Chashniksky, Gorodoksky, Dubrovensky, Lioznensky, Ushachsky, Sharkovshchinsky, Lepelsky districts and other regions), as well as pollution of drainage ditches of these sites, access roads and adjacent territories (Vitebsk city, Gorodoksky, Gluboksky districts, etc.).

Cases of unauthorized waste disposal have been established on the territory of already closed mini-landfills intended for the disposal of solid municipal waste (Orshansky, Shumilinsky, Vitebsky, Dokshitsky, Verkhnedvinsky and other districts).

All of the above, in general, does not contribute to the observance of one of the principles in the field of waste management – the priority of waste utilization over its neutralization or disposal, may negatively affect the state of the environment and public health, and also indicates the need for higher quality work of housing and communal services organizations and local executive committees in this area.

In order to eliminate the identified violations, prosecutors have taken appropriate response measures (17 submissions and orders have been prepared, the issue of bringing guilty persons to disciplinary and administrative responsibility has been raised).

  

Senior Assistant Prosecutor of the Region for Supervision of Environmental Legislation Enforcement E.L. Kozlova.