Minister of Housing and Communal Services Andrei Khmel held a working meeting in Novopolotsk
The head of the department held working meetings in Novopolotsk and Polotsk to assess the condition of waste sorting enterprises and water utilities, and to discuss ways for their further development. Together with the curators of the housing and communal services sector, representatives of the regional leadership and local authorities, Andrei Khmel visited enterprises involved in the implementation of the State Program "Comfortable Housing and a Favorable Environment".
Ecologically sustainable development, the economic effect of production expansion, analysis of the competitive environment – these and other issues were discussed during the visit to the Novopolotsk PUKUP "Biomech Plant of Household Secondary Resources". The Minister of Housing and Communal Services familiarized himself with the process of sorting solid household waste, the PET bottle processing line, and the production of sand-polymer paving tiles from plastic waste, resources not previously involved in secondary circulation.
Waste is converted into income at the plant. Plastic bottles are not just pressed and taken to a landfill, but are processed into flex flakes. This is a sought-after material on the market, suitable for the production of synthetic fibers, sintepon, packaging tape, film, and other useful products.
Much remains to be done to minimize the volume of solid municipal waste disposal, noted the Minister of Housing and Communal Services. Work in this direction continues. A concept for municipal solid waste management has been created in the country. It provides for the construction of regional complexes where waste will be sorted, and what can be profitably sold today will be extracted and put into circulation again. There are prospects. "The most important thing is to keep our country clean for future generations," emphasized the head of the Ministry.
One of the proposed solutions to an environmentally important task is the introduction of a modern deposit-refund system for consumer packaging in Belarus. At this stage, the feasibility of its launch is being checked. "We need to weigh which path the country should take, calculate it from an economic perspective. No final decision has been made yet," explained Andrey Khmel.
Speaking to journalists, the minister discussed the prospects for developing a unified dispatch service for public inquiries regarding housing and communal services. According to the head of the department, a regulation for the "115" service has been developed in the republic. It is planned to include additional feedback services for the public in its functionality. Confirmation of order completion will be possible not only through the dispatcher, signing of the work completion act, and a mobile application. A system of automatic subscriber calls is planned to be implemented in Belarus.
A robotic service for telephone communication with applicants is being tested in Minsk, allowing them to confirm the completion or non-completion of a request through simple manipulations. Until the request is confirmed, it will remain under the control of the "115" service and the organizations performing the work. The goal of these innovations is to reduce the number of repeat calls and ensure higher quality order fulfillment.
Speaking about the purpose of his visit to Novopolotsk and Polotsk, Andrey Valeryevich emphasized the importance of meetings with work collectives. This is an opportunity to hear people's opinions, share results, and thank them for their work. The minister's travel plan included communication with employees of the Novopolotsk Biomechanical Plant and the "Polotskvodokanal" branch of the State Enterprise "Vitebskobvodokanal".
According to the Minister, each region of Belarus has its own unique features and developments in the housing and communal services system in one direction or another, which can be adopted and developed. The positive experience of enterprises in the Vitebsk region needs to be disseminated throughout the country. The exchange of achievements helps to move forward, summarized Andrey Khmel.