A system for collecting used equipment is being implemented in the Braslav district
The collection system for waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) from the public is being implemented in the Braslav district through a project by the Center for Environmental Solutions (Minsk) with EU funding, waste projects coordinator Anatoly Kalach told a BELTA correspondent.
The project "Improving WEEE Management at the Local Level in Belarus" started in January 2014. It is being implemented by the Center for Environmental Solutions on one side and the Dutch organization Stichting Bevordering Dialoog in Transitieregio's (STIDIT) on the other. The pilot regions chosen were the cities of Zhodino, Bobruisk, and the Braslav district. "Three different geographical zones with different population sizes and densities, and logistical components are needed. This is to project the system for collecting used equipment, implemented in such diverse cities and districts, throughout the country in the future, based on the project results," explained Anatoly Kalach.
The practical implementation stage starts in the Braslav district, where containers purchased with European funding for collecting small and medium-sized household appliances have already been delivered (large appliances will be stored separately). Two will be located at the utility company "Braslav-kommunalnik" facilities in the district center and the town of Vidzy, and another five will be at secondary raw material collection points at consumer cooperative stores. These regional enterprises will become partners of OJSC "BelVTI," which is involved in the collection and processing of complex household appliances containing precious metals. As WEEE accumulates, the company will collect it for processing.
The project as a whole plans to train representatives of local authorities and the public in the sustainable management of waste electrical and electronic equipment. An information campaign is being launched to raise public awareness in this area. The focus of this work is on the younger generation. Strategies for sustainable management of WEEE will also be developed and partially or fully implemented for three pilot regions. In parallel, a national strategy is being developed, which considers the situation in Belarus from the perspective of the existing regulatory framework and practices.
"The production and sales of various types of household and electrical appliances are growing, while their service life is decreasing. This means that the amount of waste is also increasing. In Belarus, most unusable equipment ends up in landfills or is left by the population in unauthorized dumps. As a result, a lot of secondary resources (metals, polymers, rubber, glass) are not recycled. And the equipment releases harmful chemicals into the environment. This leads to environmental pollution and harms human health. Therefore, it is important to take measures now to reduce the amount of electronic and electrical waste going to landfills and to preserve secondary resources," added Anatoly Kalach.
The issue of what to do with obsolete equipment is being addressed in the Braslav district by two projects: "Improving the management of waste electrical and electronic equipment at the local level in the Republic of Belarus" and "Improving the system of management of waste electrical and electronic equipment in the Braslav district," which is funded by the Global Environment Facility.
Ekaterina Knyazeva