Co-owner of Ecoline - RBC: "It has become unprofitable to hide garbage in Russia"

Ecoline co-owner Evgeny Mikhailov told why the capital's garbage no longer needs to be sent outside the Moscow region,when the removal of separately collected waste will become free and what else is needed for a cyclical economy Evgeny Mikhailov

About Moscow garbage and garbage reform

About the consolidation of the waste management market

Financial indicators and work during the lockdown

Separate waste collection and free garbage disposal

About sorting garbage and selling recyclables

Mandatory vaccination and suspension from work of those who refuse to be vaccinated

“Moscow and the region are balancing in terms of production and waste disposal”

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— How do you assess the results of the waste reform that began in RUSSIA in 2019?

- Garbage reform super as a success. Maybe not everything has been correctly implemented yet in terms of management or management in a particular region, but the main thing is that a basic scheme has been created to streamline everything related to garbage and responsibility for violations [in the field of disposal]. Thanks to the reform, we have seen each region — where and how much waste is produced. As soon as we switched to the new [accounting] system, it immediately became unprofitable to hide garbage. In addition, now there is a responsible person - a regional operator.

There were up to 1,000 companies in Moscow that hauled garbage. But no one knew where and how much they were taking him and under what control. Of course, this was very harmful and influenced the fact that people perceived garbage as something terrible. Until now, in addition to the "big five" operators (it includes Ecoline, MKM-Logistics, Charter, Rostec's subsidiary Spetstrans and MSK-NT. - RBC) there are 300 companies operating in Moscow - somewhere they simply collect garbage and throw it on other people's container sites or take it to the suburbs, where we work and constantly see unauthorized dumps. In 90% of cases, their cause is precisely the activities of such essentially “black” companies from Moscow, although formally they are legal, they have licenses and contracts. But already from 2022 we will have one responsible operator in Moscow.

We also received an orderly scheme (federal and territorial waste disposal scheme. -), according to which garbage can only be transported to a certain facility, and then - processing or disposal. Any deviation from the scheme is a violation. Around this, you can now build requirements for waste removal, for the implementation of the schedule, build sorting lines and everything else. This system needs to be properly “weighted” – on the one hand, with the requirements for companies, and on the other hand, with the money that will be allocated to fulfill these requirements.

- According to Rosprirodnadzor, in 2020, the generation of solid municipal waste in Russia has decreased - from 65 million tons to less than 50 million. Are we really reducing the volume of waste?

“I don’t know the methodology for collecting and evaluating this data, but it cannot be argued that there is less garbage [in Russia]. These figures only mean that 48.5 million tons of waste got into the account, and earlier there was only an estimate at the level of 60-65 million tons. I think that the volumes will still be adjusted in the next two or three years, along with the “finishing” of the reform.

When we started working as a regional operator in the Moscow region, for the first time, not all legal entities were involved in the process of waste generation - someone did chemical work, especially small companies that rent premises on the territory of residential complexes. They said that they throw out 100 kg of waste into common containers per day, but in fact - a ton, but they did it on the sly at night. There were cases when two contracts were concluded - the first with a recycler for a minimum amount of garbage, the second - with a conditional "Gazelle" that takes it to an illegal dump. Someone tried to shove MSW along with industrial waste.

Next year, we will see that in Moscow the amount of waste also differs [from existing estimates], because the numbers will be clarified and legal entities will be identified who are trying to cheat. It will take another two or three years to find and fly them all.

— Why didn't you take part in the competition, which in the spring played out the right to become a regional operator of Moscow and in which the Ecotechprom company won?

“We didn't feel big enough and economically sustainable enough to enter this competition. This is 5.5 million tons of additional waste. I think that now in Russia there is not a single company that could pull such a volume on its own. The choice of Ecotechprom is absolutely logical - it is a municipal organization. We definitely cannot provide the same amount of financial resources as the city of Moscow.

- The regions have been protesting against Moscow garbage for many years. For example, in Alexandrov in the Vladimir region, where Ecoline was going to build a waste processing complex (KPO), local residents took to the streets. How do you feel about this?

- Taking into account the investments that have already been made or will be made in the near future, Moscow and the Moscow Region, in my understanding, absolutely balance in terms of the volume of waste production and its disposal.

The topic of confrontation between Moscow and the regions is extremely artificial and deliberately promoted. At the time of our arrival in Alexandrov, more than half of the garbage that was brought there was from the Moscow region, in particular from Sergiev Posad, but this did not bother anyone at that moment. Now the landfill in Alexandrov is closed, the license has been surrendered, and no work is being done there. The governor of the Vladimir region imposed a ban on the import of garbage from other regions, and we were forced to comply. It is not part of our plans to somehow use this landfill for Moscow, Aleksandrovsky or any other garbage.

Evgeny Mikhailov (Photo: Stoyan Vasev for RBC)

“Consolidation of the garbage market will certainly happen”

- A month ago, the Russian Environmental Operator (REO) announced that it had begun supporting projects in the field of waste management and allocated 6 billion rubles for the first time. to buy bonds in 13 projects, including your Neva waste recycling project. How do you evaluate the effectiveness of such a measure?

— In many industries, when financing projects, 20–30% are shareholders' funds, and 70–80% are borrowed. But three years ago, when I came to the bank for a loan, they offered me an inverse proportion - 70% of equity money and only 30% of borrowed money. The logic was this: the waste industry is new, there is neither regulation nor judicial practice. And it was not at all clear who could give the bank an opinion that our huge sorting project was working. Banks were afraid to invest in such projects, even those offered by Ecoline, one of the largest and most stable companies on the market.

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Now, with the advent of the REO, which provides state funding and conducts its own examination of projects, discussing them with local authorities, the risks of the bank are reduced, and the model becomes transparent. In order for the [garbage] industry to develop, it must be convenient and acceptable for bank financing.

Now such support is a very correct solution for launching infrastructure for the processing, sorting and disposal of waste. It is quite possible that in five to seven years this will be an excessive measure.

- The HEAD of the REO, Denis Butsaev, told RBC that support measures could include both the purchase of bonds and entry into the capital of market participants. Do you admit that a state-owned company can become a co-owner of individual projects or Ecoline itself?

- If the Russian Ecological Operator comes to our shareholders, I will certainly be glad. This is like a sign of quality, and we will become much more attractive in the market [for potential investors]. But I don't know to what extent this is in line with its goals as a development institution. The task of the REO is to spend money on the development of infrastructure and the creation of the industry as a whole. Rather, he can temporarily enter some project that we are launching from scratch.

— Who are the main shareholders of Ecoline besides you?

- The largest shareholder is an investment fund (Siman Povarenkin's Hong Kong fund Acmero Capital. -), which sees interest in us and invests, because the company's capitalization is growing. I also have shares and some other private individuals, but no one has a controlling stake. All this can be seen in SPARK.

- Does the main owner of Acmero Capital, Siman Povarenkin, somehow participate in the company's activities?

- Siman Viktorovich was a member of the board of directors [of Ecoline] until recently. Like any normal company, the [Acmero Capital] fund controls a certain set of key indicators, including the annual budget. I, too, as a shareholder, evaluate the activities of management by these indicators.

- But you are a "playing coach"?

— I try not to interfere in the operating business at all. This, to be honest, is not always possible, but every month it gets better and better. Otherwise, I will begin to replace management and their initiative.

- And why did Povarenkin leave the council?

- That's his right.

— Will you involve more partners in your projects?

— If we make new investment projects, especially when entering new segments, we always try to find a partner, either a technology or equity partner, in order, among other things, to share the risks.

- Did the structures of Arkady Rotenberg or are they related to Ecoline, as the Important Stories publication reported?

- Not. We are absolutely transparent and disclose our shareholding structure.

Evgeny Mikhailov (Photo: Stoyan Vasev for RBC)

— Do you observe a trend of further consolidation of the garbage market in Russia?

- There will certainly be market consolidation, because the business is complex and involves long-term investments. Loans are expensive, infrastructure construction is too. Not all companies that entered this market were ready for this. For example, regional operators in some regions thought that they would distribute contracts and sit on the general contracting percentage as agents. But the reality turned out to be much harsher. Those companies that have made serious mistakes will begin to leave the market, which will also contribute to consolidation.

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— Shareholders of Ecoline in the summer of 2019 bought their competitor in Moscow — the company MKM-Logistics. Can you evaluate the effect of this deal and tell us about its parameters?

- We bought this company for adequate money, which was agreed with the board of directors. At the time, it was a loss-making asset. But we understood that by doubling production capacity and synergy with Ecoline [cost optimization could be achieved]. Plus, we saw that we can effectively improve the company in terms of logistics and other production processes. As a result, we brought the MKM to zero and even a small operational plus.

— Are Ecoline and MKM still separate companies? Are you planning to merge them?

- This is a long process and for me personally it is not a problem that needs to be dealt with in the first place. But sooner or later, if we consider it expedient, we, of course, will unite the whole thing. So far, the two companies have a slightly different structure of assets and shareholders, plus assets are structured differently (mortgaged. -), including in banks. Without the participation of banks, such a merger is impossible.

- According to SPARK, your former deputy for Mosgortrans, Yevgeny Shibaev, is a minority shareholder in MKM-Logistics (owns 0.1% through the Technology Service company), and 99.9% belongs to Vitaly Naumov. Is this true? Why did Naumov become the main owner of MKM?

- These data were correct at the time of registration of the company "Technology Service". At present, the shareholder structure of MKM-Logistics is similar to that of Ecoline.

- Do you admit the possibility of buying another competitor in Moscow - the Charter group of Igor Chaika?

— I have no information that the Charter company is being sold. She, like us, is a regional operator of one of the clusters in the Moscow region and operates in two districts of Moscow, so our management communicates. We have general questions on interaction with regulators and on the development of a common financial model and a set of solutions to certain issues. But no more.

— What regions are you interested in in order to expand your business?

— We are considering different projects in different regions up to the Urals, which our team can effectively administer while being in Moscow and not spending an insane amount of money on travel and flights. In addition, we are faced with the problem of a lack of quality management, so we cannot now, roughly speaking, triple our capacity, if there are such opportunities. We treat this very responsibly - we will not go on an adventure.

- But "Ecoline" will not remain a company within the Moscow region?

- I would like it not to remain a company only in the Moscow region. But such a decision requires very serious consideration.

What is known about Ecoline

Ecoline Group is the leading waste management operator in the Moscow region. It includes two city operators - Ecoline (SAO and CAO), MKM-Logistics (ZAO and South-Western Administrative District), as well as regional operators near Moscow - Ecoline-Voskresensk and Ecopromservice. Serves about 5.5 million residents, 20 thousand enterprises, sorts more than 2 million tons of waste per year. According to its own data, the company removes 20% of household waste in Moscow and 17% in the region.

According to SPARK, 100% of Ecoline is controlled by the Liga-Trans company, and it is 50% owned by the Hong Kong fund Acmero Capital of Siman Povarenkin, 30.01% - by Evgeny Mikhailov, 19.99% - by Dmitry Belousov, CEO of the company Akmero Retail, which previously also belonged to Povarenkin. Povarenkin is the founder of the GeoProMining gold mining company and co-owner of the Shokoladnitsa group of companies.

“During the lockdown, we were working deep in the red”

- What level of payment by the population for garbage collection was observed in 2020 and the first half of 2021?

— In the Moscow Region, where we are a regional operator in a number of zones, we have a collection rate of 92–93% of the plan for 2021. About the same for last year. But the delay in payment is about a month and a half. And in Moscow, we work under government contracts - the city pays us 100% if we fully fulfill our obligations.

- Tell us about the financial performance for the past year.

- Revenue amounted to about 10 billion rubles, net profit, probably, about zero. But capitalization is growing from year to year quite well. All other financial indicators are for investors so far, I cannot disclose them.

Evgeny Mikhailov (Photo: Stoyan Vasev for RBC)

— How was waste redistributed in Moscow and the Moscow region due to the CORONAVIRUS pandemic?

- When the lockdown was just introduced and commerce and catering were completely closed, we saw that in the residential sector the amount of waste increased by 15-20%. At the same time, the total amount of waste that we collect has not changed much.

By and large, the entire volume went into packaging, and there was a sharp increase in uneaten food. The lockdown has prompted people to switch to a delivery model of food, clothing and other goods through couriers. The restrictions have ended, the commercial sector has started working again with the usual volume of waste generation, and the expected decrease in the residential sector has not happened - the new consumption model has been preserved.

- What measures did you take in this regard?

“We have increased the number of flights, cars, people, in order to take out this [additional] amount of garbage. When we were in lockdown for several months, we were working deep in the red (generating a serious net loss), but we understood that we could not stop. If we, being at a loss, stopped, then the losses would be much greater.

— Do you expect that after the start of operation of a single regional operator in Moscow in 2022, your income will be higher than now? And how, in your opinion, will tariffs for the population change?

- We do not yet understand how the regional operator (Ecotechprom) will build a system of relationships with contractors, and have not seen the tariffs at which it will work. We are waiting for official documents of the Department of Housing and Public Utilities of Moscow.

- And what is the debt of Ecoline now?

“We are heavily indebted. But we comply with the conditions on bank loans and do not allow technical defaults. The current tariffs that are in effect in Moscow and the Moscow region allow us to build and maintain infrastructure, pay interest on bank loans and make lease payments. But they do not allow paying dividends, which I am not happy about as a shareholder of the company. We understand that we can organize the business in such a way that in two or three years we can start paying dividends.

Now we are at the peak of the investment cycle. They just finished building the second stage of the KPO in Yegoryevsk and started building the Neva KPO [in the Solnechnogorsk district of the Moscow region]. We have a large leasing program for the renewal and expansion of rolling stock.

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— Another important item of expenditure is diesel fuel. Do you work with suppliers under long-term contracts or buy fuel on the stock exchange, where fuel prices have peaked?

“Expenses are rising, this is due not only to diesel prices, but also to the requirements for infrastructure for waste processing. When separate collection began to work, we began to install two types of tanks on container sites - gray (for mixed waste) and blue (for separately collected waste). And we had to buy more machines to pick up waste separately in these two tanks.

In addition, a very correct program was implemented in the Moscow Region to close old landfills and build new waste processing complexes. As a result, the transport distance to the waste processing and disposal point has increased, relatively speaking, from 40 to 130–140 km from the Moscow Ring Road. Taken together, this has a far greater impact on fuel costs than the price of diesel itself.

When reporting to the regulator, we show all costs and confirm them. Therefore, sooner or later [transportation costs for an additional 100 km], of course, will be compensated, this is provided for by law.

“[Under certain conditions] we will agree to carry some of the garbage for free”

- Since the beginning of 2020, separate waste collection has been introduced in Moscow and the Moscow region. How much of the waste in your zones is actually collected separately?

 - Separate collection should be done, because we all litter and everyone must shovel this garbage together. This is not just a job for the waste disposal company. Sorting starts in the kitchen.

Evgeny Mikhailov (Photo: Stoyan Vasev for RBC)

In Moscow and the Moscow region, an almost ubiquitous infrastructure for separate waste collection has been created: tanks of two colors have been supplied, two different waste disposal streams have been prepared. At the sorting, where the garbage is brought, there are also separate lines, and we can see the share of secondary material resources (SMR, recyclables). The blue tank contains from 30% of useful fractions, and mixed waste - no more than 10%. Therefore, the installation of a blue tank at a container site does not automatically mean that separate collection is organized.

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But this, of course, is a necessary system, and it is necessary to continue to work on this, to involve residents. It's like with public transport - the bus has to run every 15 minutes, empty or full, so that people start planning trips. We also need to regularly service the blue and gray machines separately so that when people see that the system works, they will start to trust it and separate the garbage.

There was a myth that garbage from bins of different colors is mixed and taken out on the same truck. We introduced a reward of 5 thousand rubles. for those who will see and take a picture of it at our container site. We are periodically sent photos, but so far not a single case has been confirmed. It's easy for us to check: the route is tracked by GLONASS, the driver takes a photo of the pickup at each address.

Promotion of separate collection and motivation is also an important part. Now many among the youth are already separating the waste, and this should become fashionable. The more people who do this at home, the stronger the difference between the gray and blue tank will be.

- But not everyone follows fashion, in Europe there are fines for mixing waste (or increased fees). Is it necessary to introduce similar measures in Russia and is it necessary to stimulate people in some other way?

I am totally against fines. We will embitter people, but we will not solve the main problem. First of all, it is necessary to fight not with the consequences [of refusal to separate garbage] with the help of fines, but with the cause - disposable and difficult to recycle plastic, in which everything is packed. Through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) mechanisms, we need to change the packaging that is forced on people when buying products [and other goods] and make it so that they cannot buy single-use plastic.

The next task is to make the bottle or other recyclables valuable to people. At the same time, there should be normal collection points for recyclables in public places. In Soviet times, lemonade cost 30 kopecks, of which the bottle itself cost 20 kopecks. And everyone kept the bottles to donate. And now the main collector of recyclables with profit is a janitor who steals cardboard from bins and metal from the site and hides it in the back room. This scheme works, but we want to create a recycling industry so that as many raw materials as possible are collected and sent to a new cycle, and not to a landfill.

- After the start of the ROP reform - from 2022 - is it really possible to reduce the cost of collecting separately collected waste for the population?

— The introduction of ROP means that those who cleaned recyclables, collected them, prepared a consignment of goods, should receive compensation. This role is performed by the operator, it is at this stage that waste becomes a commodity, a resource. If the management company of any apartment building undertakes that the blue tank will contain only separately collected secondary materials and we will only have to sort them, then, of course, we will agree to carry this volume for free. But if mixed waste gets into this container, then the company must pay an increased cost. So far, no management company is even close to being ready to take on such obligations. To do this, you need to pay a salary to an individual who will control that nothing extra is thrown into this tank, etc.

— How many containers do you need for separate collection in Russia?

- The infrastructure in Moscow and the Moscow region as a whole has already been created. We bought gray and blue containers. But, of course, they require regular updates - containers break, and even more often they break. So far they are new, but in two years we will need 25-30 thousand containers per year.

Evgeny Mikhailov (Photo: Stoyan Vasev for RBC)

We will buy or produce them, although this is a very expensive production. Injection molds and molds cost millions of dollars and are not made in Russia. But given the volumes, we are discussing these issues very seriously with other market participants (creating our own production. -), because this is also a question of stability. It is very important for us and for regulators that costs, including for the purchase of containers, are predictable for three to four years in advance.

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- The government plans to lift the 1% cap on the amount of revenue that companies can spend on buying containers. How do you feel about this decision? Will it lead to an increase in the tariff for garbage collection for the population?

— These amendments are not directly related to the tariff level, rather it is a redistribution within it. The tariff itself is influenced by a large list of other factors. For example, the cost of a vehicle fleet, the repair of garbage trucks and containers, the cost of waste disposal, etc. A huge amount of justifying materials is required, on the basis of which the tariff regulation authority can accept these costs. But it is limited from above by the index of growth in housing and communal services tariffs.

Our actual spending on everything related to containers is now 3-4% of revenue, and now this figure simply will not be a violation of the approved limit. The newer and cleaner the container, the more people will properly sort waste. If a person sees devastation around him, he will throw garbage past the urn. If everything is beautiful and painted, he will throw it in the trash. This concerns not only garbage, but, probably, the general relationship between man and society.

Five facts about Evgeny Mikhailov

Evgeny Mikhailov was born in 1973 in Moscow, graduated from the State Academy of Oil and Gas. THEM. Gubkin. From 1990 to 2003, he worked in senior positions at enterprises in the "state and non-state sectors of the economy."

In 2003, he was appointed Deputy Head of the Department for Restructuring Natural Monopolies, then Deputy DIRECTOR of the Department for State Tariff Regulation and Infrastructure Reforms of the Ministry of Economic Development.

Since 2007 — Head of the Freight Marketing and Tariff Policy Department at Russian Railways. Since 2010, he has been the executive director for work with clients of the management company Zheldorekspeditsiya.

Since September 2011 - Advisor to the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Economic Policy Andrei Sharonov. Since February 2012 - First Deputy Head of the Department of Transport and Road Infrastructure Development in Moscow. 2013–2017 — General Director of State Unitary Enterprise Mosgortrans.

Since 2017 - Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ecoline Group.

“We select up to 20% of recyclables from the waste stream”

- How much recyclables are processed at your sorting? Are these projects paying off, given that some raw materials are getting cheaper?

 — We now choose up to 20% of recyclable materials from the waste stream in different options. Only a quarter of this is a valuable raw material that can be sold at a good margin. For example, a PET bottle (plastic bottle. -), good cardboard, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, bottles, canisters. In order to collect a PET bottle, no government support measures are needed. And you can not say that it is cheaper. It cost about 10-11 thousand rubles. per ton, then rose in price above 50 thousand rubles, now its price has slightly corrected. The same with ferrous and non-ferrous scrap and with tin - the price is rising.

The vast majority of operators allocate these types of secondary material resources (SMR), and the rest, or 95% of the waste, goes to landfill. The task of a cyclical economy is to select at least 30% of the GMR. But, for example, an ordinary film (hard-to-recycle plastic) costs about 1,000 rubles. per ton. And the total cost of sampling any SMP is about 10 thousand rubles. per ton. This includes investments in sorting, equipment, people who sort waste, waste preparation and storage. Accordingly, at this price, no one will collect film and T-shirt bags, so these are the main wastes that are now being disposed of.

It is important to create such a mechanism so that the PPR funds go to compensate those who collect cheap recyclable materials, purify them and turn them into a resource that can actually be given further to processors. Until we create such a basic offer of a cheap secondary product, we will not move to a circular economy, but remain in the circular economy of a PET bottle.

Evgeny Mikhailov (Photo: Stoyan Vasev for RBC)

- What is the total volume of your processing complexes - waste sorting?

— We collect more waste (more than 2 million tons of waste per year) than we have our own sorting facilities. At the moment, we have sorting of almost 1.7 million tons per year, including KPO in Yegoryevsk (1.2 million tons) and the Signalny waste sorting complex for 480 thousand tons. The Neva KPO under construction will provide another 500 thousand .t Plus we have partner projects where we are not sorters.

We also have plans to modernize and increase existing capacities by 150,000 tons and to build deep waste processing centers to minimize the amount of garbage that goes to landfill. We are developing a technology to make finished products of the next processing stage from non-valuable types of plastic, which will be in demand in the economy. We are already producing RDF fuel from non-recyclable polymer packaging, which is becoming an alternative fuel for cement plants.

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- How much have you already invested in sorting and how much investment will Neva require?

- In general, we have probably already invested more than 20 billion rubles. into business. Investments in the Neva are about another 7 billion rubles.

— And what investments will require deeper processing?

Until I give details. We are preparing to invest a large amount.

- Deputy Prime Minister Victoria Abramchenko proposed to ban the use of single-use plastic - plastic utensils, straws, etc. - in two years. How do you feel about such an initiative?

- Strategically, of course, this is correct. But now this single-use plastic provides a certain level of comfort for people who are used to using single-use packaging, utensils and ear sticks.

Plans to impose a ban were announced two years in advance to send a signal to industry and commerce. During this time, they must modernize the production line, supply chains and reorganize in such a way that trade simply would not stop by this time: now all culinary and takeaway food is in plastic. Disposable packaging and utensils need to be standardized to be truly recyclable.

And it's not just plastic. Producers of goods and especially packaging must pay full compensation for their recycling.

- Is Ecoline considering the possibility of building heat treatment plants (for waste incineration) like those built by Rostec's subsidiary - RT-Invest?

“At the moment, we do not have projects for the thermal disposal of municipal waste in our plans - for the same reason that the bank does not sell seeds. We have a clear development strategy - we are moving towards sorting and deep processing of secondary material resources. We consider this to be more beneficial in the long run. But it is not necessary to oppose thermal recycling to sorting and deep processing of waste. They can live in parallel or complement each other.

“We will remove people who refuse to be vaccinated”

- How is the vaccination of Ecoline employees against coronavirus going?

 — The Ecoline group of companies is subject to the [mandatory] vaccination requirement. Now we have more than 80% of employees vaccinated. Naturally, we do not force anyone, we convince everyone. If people do not want to be vaccinated, no one ties them to a chair.

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We will continue to convince drivers and sorters who work on the street, because these are scarce specialties. In an office where there is a higher risk of infection due to close contact, we will suspend people without medical contraindications and those who have been ill for more than six months until they get vaccinated or the pandemic ends.

— Did you organize vaccination at work?

- Of course. I myself vaccinated in February and March, at a time when the incidence rates were declining. A very large number of people in our company went for vaccination at the same time. When the authorities demanded that at least 60% of the staff be vaccinated, we did not yet have this level, but we quickly organized the process, and most of the employees got vaccinated quite calmly. People can be vaccinated at their place of residence, or we have doctors who, under an agreement, come and vaccinate everyone.

— Due to the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of medical waste has appeared in ordinary containers — masks and gloves. Is it necessary to create a separate infrastructure for the collection of such waste? And how dangerous are they?

- Indeed, the share of masks and gloves in MSW (municipal solid waste) has increased hundreds and thousands of times. This waste is non-recyclable. But we do not see an additional risk of spreading covid precisely from used masks: the mask that a person took off his face and threw in the trash, and the bag thrown away after that, are absolutely identical in terms of the presence of certain bacteria and viruses there. Our employees at sorting work in gloves and respirators, the premises are being processed.

Evgeny Mikhailov (Photo: Stoyan Vasev for RBC)

But residents who fall ill must observe the regime of self-isolation and not go out in the evenings to throw out the trash. Stay at home and store your garbage - then throw it away when you recover.