At present, the problem of waste disposal in Russia has already acquired an alarming scale. Moreover, it not only carries a serious danger to human health, but also causes great harm to the environment. Only in the Moscow region, where about 5% of the country's population lives, a fifth of the total amount of garbage is “accumulated”. In this region, officially there are about four dozen MSW, and unofficially - several thousand.
Magnitude of the problem
Not far from the capital, namely, sixty kilometers to the east, the largest facility is located, where solid household and industrial waste is disposed. It is known as the Timokhovo training ground. Every day, mountains of garbage are brought here: plastic bags, leftover food, rags, bottles and other accessories that have already "served their purpose." It is noteworthy that when you drive through the Timokhovo landfill, you can see people at the site who, in the hope of finding something valuable, “shovel” and sort through the waste brought in.
Everything would be fine if a nauseating smell did not spread from this point, which gets not only to nearby settlements, but also to remote cities, such as, for example, Electrostal and Elektrougli. Naturally, the public has repeatedly raised the issue of closing the landfill, which, in addition to discomfort and inconvenience, residents of the Moscow Region does not bode well. But officials for the sake of their own interests are in no hurry to resolve the issue in favor of the people. The thing is that the Timokhovo training ground is a large facility in the region that brings huge profits. In the end, the governor of the region was forced to intervene.
The object is not in the "black list"
Andrei Vorobyov at one of the meetings with the president of the country touched on a sensitive topic. Vladimir Putin has long instructed to eliminate some landfills. The governor assured the head of state that in 2014 all landfills based on the territory entrusted to him will be destroyed. They did not make a concrete decision about what to do with the Timokhovo landfill, but an official document, in which it was written in black and white that the object is a source of increased levels of pollution, already existed. But later it became known that the problem object was not blacklisted for some reason. Regional officials explained this state of affairs by the fact that the Timokhovo training ground (address: Moscow Region, Nogatinsky District, Noginsk, 3 Internationale St.) formally does not belong to a specific locality, therefore they will not close it. Instead, they reported upstairs that in 2014 about two dozen landfills will be liquidated in the Moscow Region, including the Parfenovo, Dolgoprudny, Dubna - Levoberezhnaya, Dubna - Pravoberezhnaya, and Elektrostalsky landfills.
Moreover, the process of eliminating solid waste is the prerogative of Rosprirodnadzor. The final point in this matter is put by the court.
Is Timokhov landfill the main threat?
In the early 80s, there was an ordinary landfill where industrial waste was transported. A decade later, the territory of the "trash" has grown significantly and transformed into the landfill "Timokhovo." This facility is currently operated by a company of the same name. Polygon Timokhovo OJSC was established on June 27, 1994, and from a legal point of view, everything is in order. The license of the Timokhovo test site is unlimited. And the company management believes that the landfill in the Noginsky district is not the worst in the suburbs. Say, the training ground "Timokhovo" (geographical coordinates: 55 ° 45'22 "N 38 ° 17'6" E) has high-quality technical equipment. Employees of the facility claim that biogas (landfill gas) cannot cause discomfort to residents of nearby settlements, since it is specially collected and then destroyed in a high-tech way. In addition, leachate treatment facilities were installed at the landfill. For absorption, special membranes with small pore sizes are used.
This device allows maximum cleaning of the territory of solid waste from viral, microbial, parasitic, and most importantly - chemical exposure.
Practice shows something else ...
One way or another, but numerous reviews indicate that the Timokhovo test site, the environment around which leaves much to be desired, is the most problematic point in the Moscow Region, which exudes stench and nauseating odors. At the same time, as already emphasized, even distant cities suffer from the proximity to the trash. Nobody can turn a blind eye to the problem and endure it: the sickening smells, which intensify at night, interfere with normal life. Children feel especially uncomfortable.
"Independent" investigation
The residents of Elektrostal, realizing that the authorities were in no hurry to close the landfill, decided to figure out the situation themselves. An initiative group has been created. She conducted her own investigation. The reviews of its members show that the source of stench is the Timokhovo solid waste landfill. Moreover, activist associations began to form in other localities. At first, they all acted autonomously, and each group named its cause. But after some time, everyone came to a consensus: the root of evil is the landfill of Timokhovo solid waste.
Activists of the “Stink of Moscow Region” association decided to draw the attention of the general public to the problem and made their status the following inscription: “The stink source in the Moscow region is the Timokhov training ground !!!”
But the facts were there ...
Back in the fall of 2013, the information announced at a closed meeting of regional officials confirmed that the dump in Noginsk is a source of threat to human health and the environment. In laboratory conditions, air samples taken at Timokhovo were studied, and analysis confirmed that the excess of harmful substances was recorded not in one or even in two components, but in seven, and ten times. However, the authorities did not dare to publish this information in the media. The only thing in the press was a small note that the head of the regional Rospotrebnadzor Olga Gavrilenko admits the likelihood that the cause of the unpleasant smell in the Moscow Region lies in the Timokhovo training ground.
Residents intend to go to the end ...
One way or another, but the residents were not going to give up and wrote an appeal to the administration of the head of state. Vladimir Putin responded to the problem, after which there was written confirmation of the fact that the trash in the Noginsky district is the source of air pollution in the Moscow region.
Air samples were checked for 26 pollutants, and this was done several times in October and several times in November.
Specialists from the Regional Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology found that in October the content of kerosene, hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan was exceeded in atmospheric air, more than 67 times.
The report also recorded November indicators. It was found that in several settlements of the Noginsky district, the air contained in excess hydrogen sulfide and kerosene. Residents were informed that the data from the Center for Hygiene and Metrology would be addressed to officials at all levels, including those who would be sent to Anzor Shomakhov, Regional Minister for Ecology and Nature Management.
The long-awaited information, albeit belatedly, appeared on the Internet resource of the Moscow Region government.
Again, officials have doubts
At the same time, having established the fact of air pollution, the authorities again began to doubt that the stench exudes the Timokhovo training ground (a new license was issued on May 23, 2016).
Speaking on the air of the regional television channel, Anzor Shomakhov said that in order to finally deal with this issue, it is necessary “to study and analyze it in detail”.
The Minister said that there is another landfill in the vicinity of Elektrostal, and although it has been liquidated, the process of its restoration has not been completed. However, the official is not even sure that both trash can ruin the air in the city.
“We do not have evidence that the specifically designated source is in fact the main cause of the problem,” Shomakhov added.
The minister added that he had several versions of why a fetid odor spreads in the suburbs, but he refused to voice them live, because they have no connection with business facilities.
Polygon Guide Position
The director of the landfill, Konstantin Manigin, has a clear position. He assures that the Timokhovo landfill (Noginsk district) operates within the framework of the law, namely: samples are regularly taken for research, all documentation for the facility is in proper order, so it is a mistake to consider the landfill in Noginsk a source of trouble. But for some reason Manigin did not agree to demonstrate the contents of the document entitled "Environmental Impact Assessment". But the director suggested that the electricians themselves order the study. The residents were also warned of the ban on entering the landfill. Their reviews indicate that evidence is specially hidden at the facility: the filtrate is simply discarded without cleaning it as needed.
Moreover, residents have no doubt that local officials are aware of the things that are happening at the training ground, but due to objective reasons they cannot affect the situation.
Will the unpleasant smell disappear for a long time?
One way or another, but Anzor Shomakhov does not see the primary problem in the Timokhovo training ground. Yes, the landfill can potentially cause inconvenience, but it is no different from others, so it should be liquidated according to the approved schedule, if it will be unequivocally proven that the root of evil is indeed a landfill in the Noginsky district. But first you need to study the problem, and for this you need to find money, which is almost always not enough in the budget. First of all, according to the minister, it is necessary to conduct a large series of air sampling.
The official added that these tests must first be ordered. “When we establish the specific cause of the unpleasant odor, we will certainly begin to decide how to eliminate it,” said Shomakhov.
The minister complained about the holes in the budget, so the process of establishing the cause of the stench in the Noginsky district can seriously slow down.
Hope dies last…
Naturally, the members of the initiative groups do not want and will not sit idly by. The first thing they will do is collect signatures in order to send another petition to the head of state.