Residents of Prokhladny complained about the transformation of the yard into a garbage dump.
The container site under the windows of an apartment building on Freedom Street in Prokhladny, where garbage has not been removed for two and a half months, has turned into a foul-smelling dump with rats and worms. Representatives of the administration and the waste operator acknowledged that this is happening "throughout the city."
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", at the end of June, residents of Prokhladny complained that garbage from some waste collection sites has not been removed for months. For example, at the intersection of Communist Street and Red Lane in Prokhladny, garbage has not been removed since early March and at least until June 27.
One of the residents of house No. 178 on Freedom Street in Prokhladny contacted the editorial office of “Caucasian Knot” on July 14, reporting that garbage from their yard had not been removed for more than two months. According to the woman, the administration does not respond to residents' requests to move the container site outside the yard, while the site itself has turned into a dump with rats and stray dogs. WhatsApp* users can send messages to "Caucasian Knot" at +49 157 72317856, Telegram users can send to the same number or to @Caucasian_Knot.
"The dump is 20 by 5 meters, literally three meters from the entrance of the first floor. There is a terrible smell, windows on the third floor and below cannot be opened, stray dogs are gathering," said a resident of the house Pavel to “Caucasian Knot.”
According to Pavel, this area was not originally intended for a dump. "They wanted to make a children's playground there, even built a gazebo. But then someone decided to put containers there so that it would be in the center of the yard and no one would have to cross the entire yard to take out the garbage," he noted.
According to the man, he has contacted various authorities. "I called the regional waste operator 'Ecotekhprom' - it feels like a bot is answering: get in line and your garbage will be removed. Then I wrote to the President's administration. They replied that the appeal was forwarded to local authorities, where everything went silent, I wrote to Rospotrebnadzor - also silence, although all local authorities are aware of the problem," he emphasized.
Since May 15 of this year, a new regional waste operator "Ecotekhprom" has been operating in Kabardino-Balkaria. It replaced the previously operating company "Ekologistika," whose activities were criticized by local residents. However, residents of the region, who previously reported problems with garbage removal, noted that there has not been a fundamental improvement in the situation since the start of the regional operator "Ecotekhprom" yet. Thus, residents of Prokhladny stated that the utility services are practically not coping with their duties, and appeals to authorities do not yield results.
Pavel pointed out that this is not the first case of months-long garbage non-removal. The previous one was at the beginning of the year: after a long wait, only part of the accumulated waste was removed.
The problem with the dump has been ongoing for several months, confirmed a resident of the same house Ksenia. "It's summer - and you can't open the windows, there's nothing to breathe. A lot of dogs have gathered, and when I go home at night, I'm already afraid of them. These dogs scatter garbage around the yard. Rats have already appeared," she told “Caucasian Knot.”
At the same time, Ksenia noted that such a situation is not an exception for Prokhladny. "It's not just us, but throughout the city," she emphasized.
Ksenia, like Pavel, has unsuccessfully tried to draw attention to the situation. "I called 'Ecotekhprom' many times, so they just blocked my number. And other authorities send standard replies," she concluded.
In the housing and utilities department of the Prokhladny administration, a correspondent of “Caucasian Knot” was told that dumps in the yards of residential buildings have become a widespread problem, not just an issue for the house on Freedom Street. "We have this throughout the city. So let them submit an application and wait," said a department employee. The official noted that garbage from the house where she lived was removed a week after the application was submitted.
An employee of the Prokhladny branch of MUP "Ecotekhprom" acknowledged the problem, citing a lack of resources in the past. "We had 3-4 trucks and a shortage of loaders. But now we have received new trucks and managed to recruit loaders, so I hope the situation will normalize," she told a correspondent of “Caucasian Knot.”
On the evening of July 15, Ksenia informed a correspondent of “Caucasian Knot” that the garbage from their yard had finally been removed. Whether this was a reaction from the authorities or the regional operator to media interest in the dump is hard to say; at the same time, according to Ksenia, the garbage removal did not completely resolve the situation. "There is a stench, the ground is all rotten, worms, infection," she noted.
According to SanPin 2.1.3684-21 (p. 3 and p. 4), the container site for waste collection must have an access road, a solid surface (asphalt or concrete), and a fence. The distance from the house must be at least 20, but no more than 100 meters.
"Violating these requirements is an infringement on citizens' right to a favorable environment, supported by Article 42 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, and violates Article 22 of Federal Law No. 52-FZ 'On the sanitary and epidemiological welfare of the population,' according to which waste must be accumulated safely for human health," emphasized a lawyer who spoke with “Caucasian Knot” on condition of anonymity.
The accumulation and removal of waste is regulated by Article 89-FZ 'On production and consumption waste.' It establishes that waste accumulation is allowed only in places that meet sanitary and epidemiological requirements, and also defines the powers of local self-government bodies in this area, he explained. The rules for the arrangement and accounting of sites for the accumulation of solid municipal waste are approved by Government Decree No. 1039.
"The fact that the site is not equipped is the responsibility of the management company. As for the responsibility for the non-removal of garbage, it lies with the regional operator for waste management," the lawyer stated.
In case of confirmed violations, various types of administrative responsibility may apply: a fine for non-compliance with sanitary and epidemiological requirements in waste management (part 1 of Article 6.35 of the Administrative Offenses Code of the Russian Federation) for officials ranges from 30 to 40 thousand rubles, for legal entities - from 250 to 350 thousand rubles. Also, companies may face administrative suspension of activities for up to 90 days under this article. For violation of the rules for the maintenance of residential buildings and premises (Article 7.22 of the Administrative Offenses Code of the Russian Federation), a fine for officials ranges from four thousand to five thousand rubles, for legal entities - from forty thousand to fifty thousand rubles.