Environmental risk from waste disposal facilities located in the belarusian part of the Zapadnaya Dvina river basin

Abstract

Municipal solid waste and obsolete pesticides landfills are significant potential source of environmental pollution due to concentration of toxic substances and biochemical reactions going on within the stockpile of waste after its deposition. The territory under consideration is the Vitebsk region of the Republic of Belarus which is almost completely situated within the borders of Western Dvina river Basin. Active municipal solid waste landfills were built during last 50 years and significantly differ in their ability to prevent pollution. More than a half of the municipal solid waste landfills have reached the limits of their capacity and need to be closed and replaced by the new ones. Obsolete pesticides landfills should be eradicated to implement the provisions of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.