Northwest Is Russia's 3rd Largest Producer of Toxic Waste

The Northwestern region of Russia is the country's third largest producer of toxic waste. This is according to the statement made yesterday at a press conference by Amirkhan Amirkhanov, Director of the Department of Environmental Inspection and Norms of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia.

The Department of Environment says the Northwestern and Urals Federal Districts produce 15% each of the country's toxic waste, the Privolzsky District producing 16%. The largest amount of toxic waste, 30% of the total, is generated in the Siberian Federal District.

Mr. Amirkhanov noted the constant growth of the amount of toxic waste. In 1993, Russia generated 67.5 million tonnes of it, 139 million tonnes in 2001. On the whole, Russia annually generates about 3.4 billion tonnes of waste. Of this quantity 2.6 billion tonnes is industrial waste, 700 million tonnes is agricultural liquid waste, and 30 million tonnes water treatment sediments. Household waste amounts to not quite so much, just about 40 million tonnes annually. Mr. Amirkhanov believes the quantity of waste may be diminished if, on the one hand, less of it was generated and, on the other hand, more of it was reprocessed.