The online meeting was held as part of the initiative of Lake Baikal Foundation, the Baikal National Park and «Give Life to the Planet» Foundation to install a separate waste collection point on the Saraysky beach of Olkhon Island. The event was attended by the head of the Federal State Budgetary Institution «Zapovednoye Pribaikalye» Umar Ramazanov and representatives of the administration of the National Park, Director of the «Give Life to the Planet» Foundation Natalia Eremeeva, representative of the administration of the Olkhon district Marina Piestonova, Deputy General Director of LLC «RT-NEO Irkutsk» (regional operator for the treatment of MSW) Maria Gordeeva, Andrey Dubasarsky, manager of environmental projects of the campsite «Bencharov Estate».
In cooperation with the Federal State Budgetary Institution «Zapovednoye Pribaikalye», the Foundation has been replicating practices developed within the framework of the Trash Free National Parks program since 2019. Each territory is unique in terms of the level of development of the eco-culture of visitors, financial opportunities, climatic characteristics and the availability of opportunities for processing secondary raw materials in the region. On the one hand, the complexity of Olkhon consists in a large number of stakeholders and disparate initiatives. On the other hand, this diversity of opinions creates a unique opportunity to create a network of truly sustainable partnerships for responsible eco-tourism that benefits the natural area and integrates into the economic model of local residents.
Waste management on Olkhon Island requires careful planning. The division of MSW into streams, the equipment of temporary storage sites, the container maintenance control system and the logistics of the export of recyclables for sorting and processing are still unprofitable, but extremely important measures in a remote natural area.
The participants of the meeting have already started drawing up a roadmap for the implementation of the RSO on the island, which will involve the national park, the administration of the Olkhon district, business, non-profit organizations and, of course, the local population.
The project of the Foundation and the Baikal National Park is being implemented in 2021 with the support of Henkel.