en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Samara Region has launched a large-scale pilot project for construction waste management, aiming to establish a transparent regulatory system through digital means to address long-standing issues of illegal dumping and gray market transactions in this sector.
The project, initiated by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Samara Region (Министерство природных ресурсов и экологии Самарской области), focuses on introducing digital monitoring tools to achieve full-chain transparency of construction waste from generation to recycling or disposal. Previously, construction waste management in the region was effectively in a regulatory vacuum.
To advance the project, the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Samara Region has signed a cooperation agreement with the all-Russian secondary resource transport service platform Ubirator, which provides a technological system for logistics, analysis, and waste accounting, and has connected to its automated digital platform. This platform aims to integrate all market participants into a unified ecosystem. Coordination is handled by a newly established working group, which includes key industry players: waste generators (developers), licensed transporters, and enterprises processing construction waste of hazard classes 1-4. The Samara City Duma (Самарская Городская Дума) and the joint-stock company "Ecology" (АО "Экология") are also involved, with the latter having expanded its license to handle various types of waste. The main task of the working group is to develop a mechanism for removing construction waste from management companies and residents, which was previously the most challenging link. Pilot participants have gained access to the digital platform, which is currently undergoing active testing.
Within three months of the pilot's launch, a total of 246 tons of construction waste were sent for processing. The key indicator is deep recycling: 140 tons (over 56%) were used to produce recycled products, while only 22 tons were ultimately landfilled. The system analysis not only records waste volume but also tracks the origin of each batch, helping to identify technical violations such as improper landfilling of recyclable components.
Artyom Efimov (Артем Ефимов), Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Samara Region, stated that the system's operation has already demonstrated efficiency, and the current focus is on developing clear and strict rules, including registration of all participants, electronic tickets, transport tracking, and prioritizing recycling, to bring the construction waste market out of the shadows, reduce illegal dumping, and provide honest businesses with working tools.
Anna Zaichenko (Анна Зайченко), Deputy General Director for Development at Ubirator and head of the working group on waste accounting digitalization under the Circular Economy and Ecological Development Council of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, noted that the digital platform can track construction waste flows at every stage. Users can conveniently handle multiple waste types through a single window, while the Ministry of Natural Resources gains comprehensive analytics, including the proportion of secondary resources in the economic cycle. She also mentioned that during the pilot, the working group directly raised accounting issues, aiming to identify administrative barriers and formulate solutions to promote the formation of a circular economy mechanism in construction waste management.
The pilot project will continue until September 2026. Near-term plans include launching a mobile application for drivers to record each transport in real time and gradually replacing paper tickets with electronic document flow. In the future, the digital system will be integrated with GLONASS modules and city video surveillance cameras to achieve automatic control of waste transport and combat illegal transporters.
The project pays special attention to resident participation, with incentive measures being developed, including the introduction of an "eco-reward" system in the mobile application. At the same time, the establishment of dedicated construction waste collection points is being considered, where residents can centrally process relevant documents, simplifying the procedure. After the pilot concludes, the Ministry of Natural Resources plans to promote the adoption of regional regulations mandating all market participants to register in the digital system, thereby establishing legal rules in this field.
