MINSK, Jun 3 (BelTA/APP): In a new episode of BelTA’s Nation Speaks project Olga Sazonova, Head of the Waste Management Department at the Belarusian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, spoke about the technologies that would enable Belarus to recycle 99% of its waste.
In total, Belarus generated about 60 million tonnes of waste in 2024. Of this, just over 4 million tonnes is solid municipal waste (including secondary material resources), and about 56 million tonnes is industrial waste. Some 80% of the collected municipal solid waste is household waste. Some 70% of the waste from economic activities of enterprises is large-tonnage waste, i.e. waste from the production of potash and phosphate fertilizers, Olga Sazonova said.
“The current waste recycling level in the country is 33% because large-tonnage waste is practically not used. There are no technologies in the world that would allow for its effective use. This is primarily due to the economic feasibility of its use. Secondly, selling large quantities of the product obtained during processing is problematic. These are salts and halite clay-salt sludge. Currently, one of the areas of phosphogypsum processing is the production of rare earth elements. There are certain developments, and we are working in this direction,” the head of the department said.
If we consider the production waste recycling level excluding large-tonnage waste, it is around 90%, while for municipal waste, this level is around 40%.
According to the Goal 99 subprogram of the state program Comfortable Housing and a Favorable Environment, the country needs to achieve a 100% waste recycling rate, including municipal waste. A high percentage of municipal waste recycling can be achieved not only through separate collection of glass, plastic, and paper, Olga Sazonova said. “Practice shows that separate collection can ensure a level of no more than 40%. In order to reach 100%, two new waste management technologies are being introduced,” she said.
The first is the energy use of waste. “This can be either direct incineration of waste by processing plants or RDF, which is then sent to cement plants,” the head of the department explained.
The second is composting organic waste components, because they account for about 40% of all municipal waste. “Organic waste needs additional efforts. This may include composting sites and their further use,” she said.