Research on morphological composition of household waste has started in the Republic of Belarus

Data ambiguity is one of the current problems of waste registration and waste collection system in Belarus. It makes it impossible to holistically evaluate quantities of waste generation and waste losses in the environment before waste is involved in collection system

In 2019 Coca‑Cola HBC Belarus financed the research on morphological composition of household waste under the “Civic engagement in environmental monitoring and improving environmental management at the local level” project. The project is funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme in Belarus in cooperation with the Ministry of natural resources and environmental protection of the Republic of Belarus.

During the year 2020 the research on morphological composition of household waste will be carried out in the Republic of Belarus with the aim to define environmental losses and to work out measures to mitigate these losses.

The research program contemplates works to be carried out at 8 waste collection points in Minsk, 4 points in regional centers, at 4 points in towns with the total population from 30.000 to 100.000 people, and at 4 points in small regional towns with the population under 20.000 people. In total there will be 20 experimental waste collection points.

The main goal is to examine the morphological composition of household waste placed at test points and to provide household waste composition examination reports, based on the results of each measurement. Works on morphological composition of household waste will be conducted in summer, winter and mid-season (spring or autumn) periods.

Separately, it is planned to conduct an experimental study of separate polymer waste groups’ movement on the example of a PET bottle for the practical study of polymer waste flows within the existing collection systems. The experiment will be carried out using micro-GPS trackers with an autonomous power source, allowing to track the route of a package.

The acquired data will be useful at formulation of proposals on improvement of the functioning of household waste collection systems in the Republic of Belarus.