SOLID & HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT

KHABAROVSK RUSSIA

    From December 1999 to the present, ECO International under the direction of Managing Member Thomas R. Benke has leveraged US government grant and private foundation funds totaling $376,220 to create solid and hazardous waste management projects in Khabarovsk, Russia valued at over $1,000,000 based on audited reports.  Beginning with recommendations on operation of the city dump, ECO International built a foundation of trust and mutual respect that allowed Oregon and Khabarovsk government officials and environmental specialists to work together on the most serious environmental issues faced by the City and Krai.  The municipal solid waste and industrial hazardous waste management projects have brought more than 20 Oregon specialists to Khabarovsk and a like number of Khabarovsk government officials and environmental specialists to Oregon.  Project participants have collaborated on development of a Solid Waste Management Plan for the City of Khabarovsk, on recycling systems and other municipal waste diversion strategies, on programs and techniques to keep hazardous waste out of municipal landfills, to develop environmentally safe management options for hazardous waste, and to secure abandoned toxic waste disposal sites throughout the region.

     Along the way, ECO International representatives have had numerous opportunities to contribute to the broader discussion in the Russian Far East about sustainability and the relationship between ecological protection and the economy (download the two PPT presentations below.)  The most difficult questions are not out-of-bounds now, as when Thomas Benke advised Khabarovsk Krai Environmental Minister Pocherevin to move away from operation of a state-owned hazardous waste management facility toward a more diverse market driven solution (download the Recommendations below.)