A large waste processing plant is being designed in Vitebsk

A large waste processing enterprise, with no analogues in Belarus, is being designed in Vitebsk. This was stated by the Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Vladimir Belous, at a talk show at Vitebsk State University named after P. Masherov, which was one of the events of "UN-70 Express in Belarus". "We have started designing a large waste processing enterprise in Vitebsk for 200 thousand tons. In fact, there are no analogues to it in Belarus.

The enterprise's activities include sorting secondary material resources. Paper, film, and PET bottle waste are currently being extracted and processed, but we will go further: the residues from this processing will also be sorted. Approximately 20% will yield biomass, which will be used for landscaping Vitebsk. The rest will be a type of fuel that is burned in industrial boilers. Currently, there are no such boilers in the region, but we are simultaneously developing boiler houses where such fuel will be used," explained Vladimir Belous. In general, speaking about waste management, he noted that during the implementation of the State Program for the Collection (Procurement) and Processing of Secondary Raw Materials in Belarus for 2009-2015, significant funds are allocated for the development of a separate waste collection system, the purchase of special equipment and machinery.

As a result, the collection of secondary material resources has increased 2.6 times compared to 2008, reaching 71.7 thousand tons. The number of enterprises involved in waste processing is growing. Today, more than 100 enterprises reuse or accept waste for processing from third-party organizations. As a result, the share of secondary use of production waste has reached 76%. Thanks to the "Clean City" subprogram of the regional program for innovative and investment development of the Vitebsk region for 2011-2015, new solid municipal waste landfills have been built for the cities of Glubokoye and Chashniki, and the urban settlement of Bogushevsk in the Sennensky district.

Investment projects with the participation of the Swedish side for biogas (landfill gas) extraction have been implemented at the solid municipal waste landfills in Vitebsk, Orsha, and Novopolotsk. This allows not only to generate additional electricity but also to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

Ekaterina Knyazeva, BELTA.