‘Mismanagement of litter and industrial waste is one of the most commonly occurring environmental offenses. There are almost no recycling facilities within the area, so land fills and cesspits around Yekaterinburg are gradually becoming a life-threatening litter circle that smothers the city. The same is true of most other towns,’ says Sverdlovsk Region Environmental Prosecutor Kirill Ershov.

‘So far, our only achievement in this field has been the launch of a separating assembly line in Pervouralsk. It took us so long to set everything up, however, that the equipment became outdated by the time of the launch. Besides, we need not only to separate different kinds of waste but also to recycle it. I think setting up recycling facilities would be a golden opportunity for entrepreneurs. At the same time, local town councils might try harder to organize waste-keeping areas that could meet all the legal requirements,’ he says.