A closed-cycle economy must be created in the Far East. This was announced by Dmitry Tetenkin, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, at the Eastern Economic Forum.

Tetenkin reminded us that the Far East and the Arctic occupy nearly half of the country's area, with more than 10% of Russia's population living in this territory.

"There is no doubt that the Far East should have a closed-cycle economy. Of course, there are difficulties. The Far East is in a less favourable position than the western part of the country in terms of industrial potential and logistical links to markets," he said.

Kamchatka Territory Governor Vladimir Solodov said in this regard that the regional government is focusing on sustainable industries and pays much attention to the topic of ecology. "The region is limiting the development of industries that are significantly detrimental to the environment, especially where they conflict with the development of tourism, the fishing industry or environmental preservation. The best example of this is support for our initiative on a moratorium on new licenses for loose gold and their issuance in the central part of Kamchatka," he said.

The head of the region also stressed that the authorities are monitoring the process of reclamation of mined out areas. "For example, to make sure that after the placer is reclaimed, a tourist facility, a base and something else appears on this territory, not just a space without vegetation," he explained.

The problem of waste management in a closed cycle economy takes a special place, noted Tetenkin. According to him, today the urgent task of the agency is to link all the processes of waste management, involving them in further utilization and return to the appearance of a new product.

"Waste is not something unnecessary. It is a valuable product that needs to be brought into economic circulation. The more we do this, the less we will use natural resources, saving subsoil, forest, water," he explained.

The Deputy Minister also said that the rules and regulations that are currently stipulated in the Federal Law № 89 "On Production and Consumption Waste" are not fully and always able to solve the problems that the department sets in accordance with the approaches to the circular economy. "In this regard, the Ministry has proposed to the Government to consider the possibility of a federal law on a closed-cycle economy in Russia. This initiative has already been supported by a number of our colleagues, so the work in this direction will be continued, "- said Dmitry Tetenkin.

In addition, he said that the Ministry is restarting the system of extended producer responsibility. Starting from January 1, 2022, the rate of packaging recycling will be 100%.

Made in Russia / Made in Russia

Author: Maria Buzanakova