Rosprirodnadzor suspended the waste landfill license in Novorossiysk.
The waste landfill on Mount Shchelba, which received some contaminated sand after the oil spill in the Kerch Strait, has had its waste disposal license suspended. Representatives of the company "Terra-N" stated that the landfill reached its design capacity back in 2020.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", a court in Novorossiysk fined the landfill master of LLC "Terra-N", Vladimir Demin, for violating regulations that led to environmental pollution. Demin did not admit guilt and explained that the spills occurred due to heavy rainfall, and in his opinion, the enterprise is not responsible for the pollution of the Ozerka River and the Black Sea.
During the cleanup of the oil spill in the Kerch Strait, the sand removed from the beaches of Anapa and the Temryuk district was sorted at the "Screening" facility, which separated heavily contaminated fractions. Less contaminated sand was sent to the landfill of LLC "Terra-N" in Novorossiysk for use as inert materials, while the most contaminated was sent to specialized enterprises "Biopotential" and "Mercury Safety" for disposal.
The waste disposal license issued to LLC "Terra-N" has been suspended. The relevant document was obtained by Dmitry Kreskin, a member of the environmental council under the head of Novorossiysk, reports the publication "Novorossiysk Worker".
In addition, Rosprirodnadzor identified violations: LLC "Terra-N" deviated from the project documentation that underwent state ecological expertise. The enterprise has been issued orders to eliminate violations of environmental legislation.
The company has suspended the construction of stages No. 2, 3, and 5 for project adjustment and re-examination by the state ecological expertise. As a result, the schedule for inspections of the landfill reconstruction has been changed, and the next inspection is scheduled for February 2, 2027. However, the updated project documentation has not yet been submitted to Rosprirodnadzor.
Despite the suspension of reconstruction and the waste disposal license, garbage trucks continue to deliver MSW to Shchelba. The Operational Headquarters of Kuban explained that MSW will continue to be transported along the previous routes, and after the documentation is processed, it will be sent for burial in compliance with environmental and sanitary standards.
At the same time, company representatives stated that they understand the residents' concerns and therefore want to explain why the landfill continues to accept waste, reports the Telegram channel "Novorossiysk Not News".
According to representatives of "Terra-N", the license is partially suspended and only regarding waste burial. The reason for this is the critical overcapacity of the landfill. However, MSW continues to be processed - this is a forced regime introduced after the order of the Governor of the Krasnodar Territory regarding heightened readiness. The goal of this forced measure is to prevent a waste collapse in Novorossiysk and Gelendzhik.
On October 22, 2026, by the order of the governor of Kuban, a heightened readiness regime was introduced in 10 municipalities related to the organization of MSW removal. The authorities of Kuban, who declared the overflowing landfills as temporary waste storage sites, should have not waited for a crisis to organize separate collection and recycling of MSW and to build new landfills, ecologists pointed out.
Shchelba is the only official facility for accepting MSW for these cities. There is no free capacity at other landfills. There is physically nowhere to redirect the flows. At the same time, the company emphasizes that the landfill reached its design capacity back in 2020. Since October 2025, the facility has been under the management of "Terra-N" in a critical state, and work has been ongoing to bring it to a safe operational mode.
"The question is not whether the landfill is 'good' or 'bad'. The question is what is more important: a formal pause in the license or the sanitary safety of the city. While the permitting documentation is being put in order - the waste has to go somewhere. There is no other place for Novorossiysk right now," the organization stated.
The waste landfill in the village of Borisovka was established in 2013; it is the only legalized waste disposal facility for Novorossiysk and Gelendzhik. The capacity of the facility is 160,000 tons of waste per year; however, according to the territorial scheme for MSW management, about 230,000 tons of waste are generated annually in Novorossiysk and Gelendzhik. In fact, the landfill accepts a significantly larger volume of waste, and under such conditions, the landfill has prematurely 'exhausted itself', said ecologist Yevgeny Vitishko in January.
"Caucasian Knot" also reported that in the summer of 2026, a court in Novorossiysk fined the operator of the waste landfill "Terra-N" 19 million rubles for polluting the Ozerka River and the Bezimenka stream.