MINSK, 12 February (BelTA) -The recycling rate of municipal solid waste in Belarus increased by 2.2% in 2018 from 2017 to 19.2%, Belarus' Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Protection Minister Alexander Korbut told the media, BelTA has learned.
According to him, the share of re-use of municipal solid waste has been steadily increasing in Belarus. So has the recycling rate.
According to the preliminary data, Belarus collected 3.7 million tonnes of municipal solid waste in 2018. “The recycling rate was 19.2% in 2018, 17% in 2017. The increase was possible thanks to separate waste collection by citizens, development of the network of waste procurement centers and waste separation centers,” the deputy minister said.
Gomel Oblast heads the recycling ratings. Around a third of Belarus' districts do not have waste separation centers.
Alexander Korbut noted that one of the reasons behind the current recycling rates is the lack of unified requirements to municipal solid waste management. “The Natural Resources and Environment Protection Ministry prepared an amendment to the law on waste management. It suggests that the Housing and Utilities Ministry and the Natural Resources and Environment Protection Ministry are authorized to enact a technical code on established practices in municipal solid waste management. The code will serve to regulate issues like separate waste collection, municipal solid waste disposal, and recycling,” Alexander Korbut said.
