Accumulation of industrial and consumption wastes in Sverdlovsk Region has been one of the region’s major environmental hazards for a while now; at the same time, some programs that could help solve these man-caused problems are being hindered by a number of unresolved issues.

Firstly, it is still not clear how to recycle the bulky wastes left over from the metallurgical production (such as red mud and some others), waste supplied by hydrolysis production (such as lignine), heat-and-power engineering, mining industry, and organic waste produced by regional farmers. Secondly, there is an issue of especially hazardous waste containing heavy metals and other toxic substances (transformer fluids, reagents, and medical waste). Thirdly, while more and more plants and dwellings are being contrasted, the problem of construction waste is becoming more and more pressing.

Finally, the system of collecting and recycling waste is very poorly developed. People have been throwing out office equipment, home appliances, and cars much more frequently than before; besides, something has to be done about the enormous amount of packaging that is being dumped.

It appears that the local governments are not paying enough attention to the problem, whereas these are these governments that are legally responsible for safe treatment of waste. However, both the regional and federal laws are imperfect; financing is insufficient, effective stimulating economic mechanisms are missing, and the state environmental surveillance is poor, which is why the problem hasn’t been solved yet.