Territorial Schemes of Waste Management in the Russian Arctic: A Starting Point for a Discussion (en)

Abstract

The problems of household waste management in the Arctic region are complicated by low temperatures at which the waste freezes and plastics burst, as well as by an undeveloped (or completely absent) road network and a low population density. Another issue is that the legal system of the Arctic regions requires harmonization. Requirements that seem to be difficult to meet in settlements located in temperate climates become impossible to achieve in the North. The usual logistic schemes can't be drawn up as well, and even a small distance can become an obstacle to the regular transportation of municipal solid waste. Furthermore, a need for an individual approach to the issue of waste management in the Arctic should be emphasized, on the one hand, and on the other, close coordination among different regions and justification of the use of the best available technologies in the field of waste management in the Russian Arctic are necessary.

Keywords

• the arctic
• arctic zone of the russian federation
• water supply
• socio-economic development
• the best available technologies
• territorial schemes of waste management