JSC Firm "August", the largest domestic manufacturer of plant protection chemicals, annually increases the volume of disposal of containers for pesticides: in 2019, more than 363 tons of canisters used by farmers were collected and processed for the company, and by the end of 2020, over 379 tons ... In general, the number of recycled packaging is growing every year: for example, Ecopole, a Russian company that organizes the collection and disposal of containers from plant protection drugs, in 2021 expands its geography of presence and begins work in the Ural Federal District. In the future, it is planned to enter the regions of Siberia and the Far East.
The Central Federal District and the Southern Federal District became the first Russian federal districts, where the collection and disposal of containers for pesticides from "Augusta" and other manufacturers of plant protection chemicals (CPPP) was established, then the North Caucasian Federal District and the Volga Federal District were covered. It took the efforts of all major players in the industry to create an operating system for processing this type of waste. They had a choice: just pay the environmental fee, which is what companies are obliged to do, whose products are to be recycled after the loss of consumer properties, or to take over the recycling.
“Our company was one of the initiators of the launch of the recycling of pesticide containers,” says Vladimir Alginin, Deputy General Director of Firm “August” JSC and Executive Director of the Russian Union of Producers of Chemical Plant Protection Products. - Moreover, we began work in this direction in 2012, when the obligations of manufacturers and importers to process packaging from the products they sell were not yet established in the federal law “On Production and Consumption Wastes”. The initiative was discussed at a meeting of the Russian Union of CPSP Producers, we were supported by both domestic and European companies that work as part of the Association of European Businesses (AEB). "
The experiment lasted for two years. It took place in the Central Black Earth Region, starting with only 100-200 tons of containers per year for the industry as a whole. The enterprise, which was the first to start recycling pesticide canisters, is located in the Voronezh region. The experience was recognized as successful, and as a result, the Russian Union of CPPP Producers and the AEB established the Ecopole company, which was centrally engaged in organizing the collection and recycling of used packaging.
“Currently, we are working within the framework of the current legislation, ensuring the disposal of containers from under our products,” says Vladimir Alginin.
The number of containers collected and disposed of in the period from 2017 to 2020 for JSC Firm "August" | |
2017 | 175 000 kg |
2018 | 292 976 kg |
2019 | 363 kg |
2020 | 378 735 kg |
Unrecycled containers can harm the environment in and of itself, since they do not decompose in natural conditions, as well as due to the residues of pesticides contained in it. As Vladimir Alginin notes, earlier cans were an indispensable thing in the household, they stored oils, fuel and much more. With the expansion of the use of CPPP in agricultural firms, too many such containers quickly accumulated, cans began to accumulate in garages, and many farmers began to simply burn them in neighboring forests, which also harmed the environment. Burying pesticide containers is prohibited today. However, the canister remaining in the household, even if it is well washed, poses a threat to a person who does not know what was in it before and can use it, for example, to store drinking water. Finally, counterfeiters can use the original packaging from CPPD to manufacture counterfeit drugs.
Today, the leading manufacturers of pesticides organize and pay for the disposal of containers on their own - in accordance with the standard established by the state, what percentage of the packaging of all products sold on the market should be recycled this year. It should be noted that during all four years since the entry into force of this procedure for regulating waste management, the actual volumes of disposal were higher than the established standards. The amount of processing costs incurred by each specific manufacturer is determined based on its market share. For farmers, the processing of containers is completely free - you just need to hand over the canisters.
It is worth noting that the largest payments were made at the start of the project: initially, a high price per unit of weight of recycled packaging was set for the producers of plant protection products, since the operator had to form internal technological chains and purchase the necessary equipment. At the moment, recycling volumes are growing, while the price per kilogram is falling, because the processor compensates for part of its costs through the sale of the received recyclable materials. The cans are crushed and granulated. The resulting granulate is sold as a material for the manufacture of road posts, various pipes, including sewer and insulation pipes, geonets, garden mesh, some types of ritual products and other types of goods that do not come into contact with drinking water and food.
“Paying an environmental fee in accordance with Russian waste legislation would be much cheaper than creating your own recycling system,” admits Vladimir Alginin. “But that was our deliberate decision. So far, the country does not have a ready-made infrastructure for the collection and processing of containers for pesticides, and using the one that was created for the solid household waste of the population is impractical - both because of the volume of canisters and because of the hazardous properties of CPPP. "
“At the moment we are cooperating with three partner enterprises that are engaged in the export of containers from agricultural firms: Graphite, Medprom and Investagroprom-Yug. The first two companies also have their own canister processing facilities, while Investagroprom-Yug uses third-party enterprises in Maloyaroslavets and Novomoskovsk for recycling, - says Alexander Efimkin, director of Ecopole. - In general, it is not easy to find contractors, the development of the waste recycling sector is very different from region to region, so we still recycle containers collected in 4 federal districts at these enterprises. At the same time, not every transport company can also collect used packaging, but only those who have received a license to transport especially hazardous waste. "
Alexander Efimkin notes that before handing over to collectors, each canister must be thoroughly rinsed and the bottom pierced so that it is not of interest to counterfeiters.
In 2021, as part of the strategy to cover all agricultural regions of Russia with the recycling system for containers from the chemical plant protection system, the collection of canisters will begin on the territory of the Ural Federal District. At the same time, the site where the containers will be stored is located in the Orenburg region (Volga Federal District), and the canisters will be removed from the Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, Kurgan and Tyumen regions. In 2020, based on the results of work in 4 federal districts, a total of 1800 tons of canisters were sent for disposal. According to preliminary calculations, at the expense of the Ural Federal District, the volume of processing should exceed 2000 tons per year.
“In the future, it is also planned to start work in Siberia and the Far East. In 2021, we are starting to develop a system for entering these regions, ”adds Vladimir Alginin.