Municipal Solid Wastes Recovery as the Major Factor in Circular Economy Development. Case of Cheboksary Urban Agglomeration

Waste is an integral part of human life and creates significant problems for urban areas, including the Cheboksary agglomeration. The traditional method of waste disposal in landfills faces environmental and economic problems, while alternative technologies are often expensive to implement. In connection with the transition to a circular economy (CE), the problem of creating an effective system of municipal solid waste (MSW) management becomes even more urgent. The research is aimed at identifying the optimal ways to ensure the transition to the CE by creating a sustainable system of solid waste management in the territory of the Cheboksary agglomeration. A review of legislation, terminology and literature in the field of MSW, garbage reform and CE has been conducted, and international experience in waste management organization has been analyzed. The analysis of the situation in the field of solid waste management in the Cheboksary agglomeration revealed the lack of adequate infrastructure for solid waste management and the predominance of landfill disposal. The volume of waste utilization is negligible, and recycling activities are local in nature. A set of measures required to create MSW management system and ensure conditions for transition to CE in the Cheboksary agglomeration has been developed: - Implementation of infrastructure development projects, such as waste sorting plants, composting complex and RDF-fuel plant. - Establishment of a separate waste collection system (RDF) with sufficient number of containers and mass awareness campaigns. - Equipping sufficient machinery for regular and separate removal of containers with different fractions of MSW. - Quality treatment of raw materials before entering the RDF-fuel plant and composting line. - Establishment of a regional association of waste producers and utilizers to form stable sales channels for recyclable materials.