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can any Russian tell me about trash collection in Russia? Goto page 1, 2  Next

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Author	Message
ericg Just Starting Joined: 05 May 2005 Posts: 2 Location: the universe	Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 5:33 am    Post subject: can any Russian tell me about trash collection in Russia? I'm writing a paper on my experiences in Russia in May and I want to do a piece about trash collection and littering. Any thoughts, feelings, history anything you have to add would be greatly appreciated. thanks ericg[/b]
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Intourist Talk Show Host Joined: 21 Dec 2004 Posts: 245 Location: Moscow	Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 8:31 am    Post subject: I've always been somewhat irked by what I consider to be a lack of trash receptacles in the city of Moscow. Not having anywhere to properly dispose of your empty cigarette pack or can of coke means a lot of people litter. I understand the reasoning, however, for not having trash cans, though. They're worried that it'd be an ideal place to hide a bomb, and in a city that has at least one or two large-scale terrorist attacks each year, they're probably right.
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Mogsfan WayToRussified Joined: 03 Nov 2004 Posts: 490	Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 8:59 am    Post subject: What about recycling? In Canada, for instance, recycling is a major environmental ideal and it's a top issue for government policy. However, it's highly unorganized and a bureaucratic mess. It's a good idea as I'm a firm environmentalist but the stupid government makes it a royal pain in you know where and the expensive system doesn't work very well. But, at least, the inept government is pressured to make it an issue. What does Russia (e.g. Moscow and St. Petersburg) do, if anything?
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Rick Moderator Joined: 04 May 2005 Posts: 854 Location: Касабланка	Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 10:07 am    Post subject: I was bringing away some remnants of a party in Omsk. Just outisde the apartment this man crossed my path to the trash containers. He seemed to be very interested in my bag with empty beer bottles. So i gave it to him, quite satisfied that i got rid of the litter this quickly .. I am not sure where these people actually bring the bottles, but it felt a lot more comfortable than the 'system' we have in Holland, where i have to bring walk for a kilometre with a heavy bag to get rid of them, in the name of recycling. It just doesn't work if you have the containers that far apart.. As about rubbish on the streets: when showing photo's i heard the remark several times that the Russian roads looked quite clean compared to Dutch ones, less litter on them. And also i was surprised that the phone booths i encountered were not demolished. Which can be a very rare sight in my country.
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mister_wizzz VIP Joined: 27 May 2004 Posts: 582	Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 10:12 am    Post subject: Intourist wrote: They're worried that it'd be an ideal place to hide a bomb, and in a city that has at least one or two large-scale terrorist attacks each year, they're probably right. It is a good place to hide a bomb. I remember in 1995 during the Islamist terror wave in France, all the public garbages has been condemned, it was terrible : trash everywhere in the streets.
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mister_wizzz VIP Joined: 27 May 2004 Posts: 582	Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 10:22 am    Post subject: Rick wrote: As about rubbish on the streets: when showing photo's i heard the remark several times that the Russian roads looked quite clean compared to Dutch ones, less litter on them. And also i was surprised that the phone booths i encountered were not demolished. Which can be a very rare sight in my country. Netherlands is a very permissive country, that's why streets are dirty and so many phone booths are destroyed. In this country you have to attack a bank or kill somebody to get some troubles with Justice.
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Intourist Talk Show Host Joined: 21 Dec 2004 Posts: 245 Location: Moscow	Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 10:44 am    Post subject: Mogsfan wrote: What about recycling? In Canada, for instance, recycling is a major environmental ideal and it's a top issue for government policy. However, it's highly unorganized and a bureaucratic mess. It's a good idea as I'm a firm environmentalist but the stupid government makes it a royal pain in you know where and the expensive system doesn't work very well. But, at least, the inept government is pressured to make it an issue. What does Russia (e.g. Moscow and St. Petersburg) do, if anything? Not much, at least visibly. There is some household recycling, but mostly only to the extent that bums extract beer bottles from the dumpsters for a measely few kopeks per bottle. On a commercial level (and perhaps only because it's profitable) metal scrap, empty printer cartridges, and the like are recycled. But on the whole, I'd say recycling is a pretty non-existant concept here.
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mediashark Moderator Joined: 04 Nov 2004 Posts: 1599	Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 1:09 pm    Post subject: Recycling? Bah! In Moscow they put up recycling bins just because they offered advertistment space and to improve city image with the fact that there are 'recycling bins'. Then comes along the collection truck and they toss all the sorted paper, glass and plastic TOGETHER... for all we care it'll just be an ordinary refuse truck...
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Vic Talk Show Host Joined: 29 Mar 2005 Posts: 298 Location: Moscow, Russian Federation	Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 3:21 pm    Post subject: About beer bottles: There is a collection point where you bring them to and they give you 1 rouble/bottle. There is a similar system in europe aswell. The glass bottles are then heated to a temperature of over 250 degrees and steam-cleaned (I saw this process-very cool) and then they go to the company again and once more bring happiness to some beer-drinker. If I am still around after a big party, I sometimes gather em' up and take em over there. I'm not cheap - just when I see an easy way of earning 20+ roubles...I go for it. It is funnier in Lithuania when I was visiting my cousin. I just finish a bottle (at a bus stop) put it down, say a couple words to my cousin, turn around and notice that the bottle is gone Aluminum cans are recycled aswell, but they are melted down and I do not know how much you get for them...never handed it in. Vic
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mediashark Moderator Joined: 04 Nov 2004 Posts: 1599	Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 3:40 pm    Post subject: That seems to be the only system of recycling in place... that's why you get babushkas with battered nylon bags or trolley bagas hovering around you and your friends when you booze in public... But recyclable refuse isn't only limited to beer bottles?!
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DITTRICH WayToRussified Joined: 13 Jun 2004 Posts: 429 Location: London UK	Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 3:56 pm    Post subject: The most irritating rubbish problem IMHO is when the snow and ice thaw, thereby revealing zillions of cigarette butts smoked during the winter months. In my apartment block in Moscow we never put glass bottles in the rubbish chute, just leave on the landing for the local babushka to collect. Les
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mister_wizzz VIP Joined: 27 May 2004 Posts: 582	Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 4:01 pm    Post subject: About Bottles of beer : * If you invested 1000 euros in Eurotunnel, today you would get almost nothing * If you invested 1000 euros in Vivendi Universal, today you would get only 70 euros * If you invested 1000 euros in France Telecom, today you would get only 159 euros * If you invested 1000 euros in Alcatel, today you would get only 170 euros. BUT if you bought for 1000 euros of beer, today you would have drunk it and you would get 380 euros for beer bottle recycling. Buy beer, it is not so bad investment !
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Intourist Talk Show Host Joined: 21 Dec 2004 Posts: 245 Location: Moscow	Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 4:50 pm    Post subject: mediashark wrote: But recyclable refuse isn't only limited to beer bottles?! It is here. And only bottles of Russian design. They don't take Miller bottles, for example. Which has to make you ask, just exactly how they are recycling them. If they were really melting the glass down, you'd think the only consideration would be color, not size and make. "Things that make you go hmmmmmm"
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mediashark Moderator Joined: 04 Nov 2004 Posts: 1599	Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 5:14 pm    Post subject: Altogether now.... "1000 bottles of beer on the wall..."
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Jutrzenkapolska VIP Joined: 16 Sep 2004 Posts: 534	Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 10:41 pm    Post subject: Mogs, I'm very sorry to inform you of this as a fellow enviormentalist but recycling is bullshit.At least paper and plastic recycling.It's counter-productive and uses more energy and resources than it saves.Sad but true.
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