“Matter of psychology”: citizens of Kazan are taught to separate waste

To change mentality

Almost two-thirds of the sites for separate waste collection have been prepared in Kazan — 64%, or 1,133. “They have 4,873 containers. Separate waste collection and disposal is underway in 97% of houses in big managing companies and in Spring, Light Valley, 21^st Century, Rainbow and other residential complexes,” said deputy head of the city’s Executive Committee Iskander Giniyatullin.

According to him, the sites with containers look differently depending on the type of construction. There are eight types, the Administration of Architecture and the committee of Urban Housing and Utilities approved together with districts. The sites are designed for a different number of containers with a possibility to install a tanker for bulky rubbish and so on. 15 sites of this kind have been built today, another 19 are planned to be built till the end of the year:

“It’s a matter of psychology: one has to come to it. There are also certain investments in infrastructure — not every entrepreneur is ready to spend money on additional containers. We have to persuade, talk just because there is no regulatory document. And this is not always successful. I think there must be some regulation, there must be some responsibility indicated,” Giniyatullin noted.

The authorities have difficulties with people’s ingrained habit when treating waste. For instance, only 165 out of 464 houses with a rubbish chute agreed to have container sites. “The work with citizens will go on,” Giniyatullin claimed. Another 23 sites are going to be built for these houses. 57 sites of the new type in total are to appear by the end of the year.

“Explanatory work with citizens is an important part of the introduction of separate waste collection. We all will have to automate waste segregation at home. The explanatory work goes on, posters with information, billboards in the Tatar and Russian languages are placed,” Giniyatullin added.

322 sites have to be installed in residential areas. They will cost 239 million rubles, the committee hopes to complete the works during the next two years. According to the functionary, they should teach people to treat waste segregation differently (here he indicated a video where cleaning workers folds waste from different containers into one).

“There is no regulatory framework requiring the introduction of separate waste collection,” he added, speaking about the situation with separate waste collection in subordinate institutions: they can carry out only explanatory work, but they cannot oblige to move to the conscious attitude.

Trade in subways

According to Chairman of the Consumer Market Committee Ruslan Fazylyanov, since 2016 the auctions for the placement of temporary retail facilities (TRF) in subways have begun in Kazan — they had to be resorted to because of the numerous comments of citizens and in order to streamline the trade, which was then approaching the state of chaos. He noted that according to safety standards, trade is possible in six subways: at the intersection of Amirkhana and Yamasheva Streets, on Dementyev Street — near the exit of the KMPO, on Ershov Street — opposite the Gorky Park, at the intersection of Dekabristov and Vosstaniaya Streets, as well as on Pushkin Street, and near Koltso shopping mall, and on Said-Galeeva street, where the right to place TRFs has not yet been traded at auctions (to be implemented this year).

For the first four, for which the auctions have already been held, the total amount of contracts amounted to 64 million rubles. In general, these sites together can accommodate retail outlets with an area of 1,700 sq. m. The auctions are held for a 10-year period, but the winners are required to maintain a certain appearance, developed by the department of architecture and urban planning.

Summer parks

Marat Zakirov, the director of the Directorate of Parks and Squares, told about the summer programme in public spaces. In 2019, new projects have appeared — the first park barbecue festival Grill-Fest was held in Gorkinsko-Ometievsky Forest on May 11-12, which was visited by 23,500 people, the all-Russian festival Positiv Ulits. In June, Russia Day was celebrated at eight venues.

Since the beginning of the summer season, 201 events have been held, attended by 127,000 people.

Today in the parks, there are 15 summer cafes, 17 ice cream sales points, 11 catering points, 11 attractions and sports and entertainment facilities, 7 points of sports equipment rental and 2 objects of photo services — a total of 63 objects. As Zakirov explained later to the journalists, the original plan for 53 objects has been exceeded.

“This year Krylya Sovetov Park celebrates its 80th anniversary. For the older generation, this month there begins to work the project Dance Floor: there will sound retro music, held dance classes and organised a dating club twice a month on Wednesdays at the site of the park. The project Retrochetverg works until September — free outdoor screenings of the films of the Soviet years,” he said.

The main gastronomic event of the summer — the big ice cream festival — is to be held for the second time on July 13-14 in the Central Park named after Gorky. There will be more than 25 ice cream sales points from manufacturers in Moscow, Ulyanovsk, Yoshkar-Ola, Kazan and other cities.

In the parks, there will be educational programmes — separate waste collection (Ekologichno project). One of the large companies has volunteered to hold free classes for preschool children in English (Kaleidoscope Park) weekly, on Tuesdays.

During the WorldSkills, several projects are planned, including workshops on the disciplines of the championship from 23 to 26 August, musicians will perform on the waterfront of Kaban Lake.