Dangerous concentrations of birds were detected at 24 landfills near airfields

Mass inspections of municipal solid waste (MSW) facilities located near airfields have been launched in Russia. This was reported to Izvestia on August 14 by the Russian Environmental Operator (REO).

According to the REO, to date, inspections have already been completed at 141 facilities in 56 regions of the country: 117 of them have received a positive conclusion, and 24 have received a negative one.

Such surveys are necessary in order to determine if there are potentially dangerous concentrations of birds nearby and what measures need to be taken to avoid them. The main reasons for the negative results are the availability of an affordable food supply for birds and insufficient protection measures for facilities, the REO explained. This means that birds have access to organic waste and perceive it as food.

"We are checking all businesses that are located within a 15-kilometer radius of the runways. This is the so-called "sixth subzone of the airfield territory." The mass accumulation of birds near landfills or waste treatment complexes is not only an environmental problem, but also a sanitary problem. Ornithological surveys help identify risks and take timely measures to make such facilities safer," said Denis Butsaev, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of Russia.

Facilities that have received negative conclusions are required to correct the problem within 6 months and conduct an ornithological study again. The transport prosecutor's office will be responsible for the inspection. In total, 163 objects are to be examined. Inspections will continue until the end of the year so that all MSW facilities receive up-to-date conclusions and can eliminate possible violations, the REO concluded.

On November 1, 2024, Izvestia got acquainted with the data of the Russian Environmental Operator (REO), according to which no bird scaring equipment was found in a quarter of the enterprises located on the territory of airfields. This, as specified in the study, leads to their dangerous accumulation in these places.

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