Yabloko Deputy Chair on the top-down policy of the Kremlin and the creation of the all-Russia waste operator
Nikolai Rybakov’s blog post at the Echo Moskvy website, 18.01.2019

It seems that everyone has finally understood what the reform of the municipal solid waste treatment is about and why it is not going to be effective. However, we have another thing coming – the all-Russia environment operator. This structure was created following the presidential decree of 14th January. The organisation will be responsible for the formation of a complex system of MSW treatment.

The first thing that strikes me is that there is no mention of the national operator in the law on industrial and household waste and the latest amendments to this law. The 2017 amendments serve as the foundation for the so called “waste reform” introducing the definition of a regional operator and granting the operator together with the regional authorities the powers to organise MSW treatment in the regions.

The presidential decree is creating a new legal public company which will embrace the financial means and opportunities to directly participate in the establishment of enterprises and facilities for MSW treatment in every region and municipal area. What is more, the company will have to examine and monitor the territorial schemes of the MSW treatment, find investors, participate in the development of programmes and bills, educate people and so on.

It is clear that it is a new attempt to create another vertical system. Apparently, the President does not trust local authorities. This is why he wants to monitor the process from Moscow.

However, solid waste is a local issue. You cannot agree waste removal from every bin with Moscow. This is why it is logical that local municipal bodies should arrange the MSW treatment process taking local specific features into consideration. The all-Russia operator is another monopoly and it is far from being natural.

As it is not possible to study all local specific features from a common centre, they will unify problem solution schemes. They will be effective in some place (probably in Moscow) and ineffective in others. It is likely that they will establish large enterprises, waste incineration plants or big centres for waste sorting and partial recycling and landfills. Large monopolies tend to create large enterprises rather than going local in order not to lose control. It is unlikely that the system will be flexible. It will probably be expensive.

The creation of the all-Russia structure would make sense if it were a state foundation for distributing funds among municipalities for projects on the MSW treatment. The structure could also monitor the expenditure of these funds. However, the decree implies that the operator will take part in local projects, including the purchase of land plots and equipment, which is really ineffective.

They should have created a legal system of economic incentives and environmental restrictions instead of another inflexible structure with broad powers in Moscow. This ways the MSW treatment system would have worked thanks to private initiative and local bodies, not the presidential decree.
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