MINSK, 4 February (BelTA) – Belarus plans to raise the rate of municipal solid waste recycling to 64% in 2025, Belarusian Housing and Utilities Minister Andrei Khmel said at the final board meeting of the ministry, BelTA has learned.
According to Andrei Khmel, Belarus collected almost 790,000 tonnes of secondary raw materials in 2020, which amounted to 98% of the annual target. “We did not meet the target, although we still exceeded the rate of 2019 by 3.2%. However, the recycling rate went up to 25%. The state program for this five-year period sets a very important goal – to bring the recycling rate of municipal solid waste to 64% in 2025. To achieve this, we will need to set up 16 regional facilities for sorting, recycling, and disposing of municipal solid waste,” Andrei Khmel noted.
The main goal in municipal solid waste management is to improve the effectiveness of its use, the minister pointed out. In 2020, Belarus adopted several regulations that provide for expanding the range of investment opportunities in municipal waste management and offering new opportunities for economic stimulation of waste recycling, including using it for energy production and manufacturing goods from secondary raw materials.
Andrei Khmel also spoke about the ongoing projects in this field, including the project to produce refuse-derived fuel at the facility for disposal and automated sorting of waste in Grodno. In addition, Belarus has already designed a waste sorting facility in Bobruisk. Work is underway to prepare technical design specifications for all waste sorting facilities in Baranovichi District, Orsha District, Polotsk District, Gomel District, Zhlobin District, Mozyr District, and Volkovysk District.
