“Zimniaya Vishnia” and the “Yadrovo” landfill as two sides of the same coin: difficulties in comprehending the obvious

Abstract

Russia was affected by a waste management crisis at a later point than developed countries, due to the fact that during Soviet times everyday consumption was limited by a shortage of goods. After our country made the transition to capitalism, especially during the years of abundance, Russia’s population strived towards compensating the deprivation of the past by actively consuming goods with no regard for the affects on the environment. The reason for such behavior lies in the population’s peculiar system of values, defined by our country’s history. Meanwhile the government had been completely ignoring the need for developing a waste management system which would suit the people’s new lifestyle. It is quite obvious that such a crisis was imminent. However, its nature came as a surprise to government and municipal management. Due to this fact, the decisions they make are very much flawed, and they do not contribute to stability in our society, but rather postpone the resolution of the issue in question. Actual change to the situation lies not at the end of a product’s life cycle, but rather at its beginning. Which is why the experience of European nations must be taken into consideration, where they actively implement circular (cyclical) economy principles into social and economic activity. This means that goods can not only be purchased, but also repaired, reused, modernized, passed on or resold etc. In order to implement such actions, there is a need for specific infrastructure, with the internet being a key component of such. We are already witnessing the spontaneous advancement of sharing platforms, where people swap goods or give them away for free, but this is not enough. Similarly to centers of overconsumption such as the “Zimnyaya Vishnya” shopping mall, dispersed prosumerism platforms need to appear, where people would engage in the various stages of reproducing goods for personal or public use. Such public spaces would allow for developing activities which consolidate local communities and family groups, and which eliminate consumers’ detachment from produced goods by means of developing an understanding of their content and their reproduction life cycle. One of the conditions or manifestations of transforming society’s lifestyle would be a shift in city infrastructure, away from widespread centralized consumption. This would decrease the environmental and technological risks, as well as increase the population’s living standards.

Virtual Urban Communities As An Actor Of Circular Economy Development In Russia

“…The idea of recycling was once progressive, but today it is clear that it is far from a panacea and although it is economically beneficial, it also generates a number of environmental and social problems (Bartl, 2014). It should be noted here that in Russia, state policy at the moment is mainly aimed at the implementation of the lowest methods of waste management -more thorough collection of waste to prevent their placement in nature, more thorough isolation at landfills and incineration of mixed waste (Nikitina, 2019, Kudryavtseva et al, 2018. With this approach on the part of the state, civil society initiatives on separate collection of waste for further recycling look very progressive.…”

On-Line Communities And Diffusion Of Circular And Sharing Economy Practices

“…A feature of the ecological modernization of the socio-economic model of production and consumption in modern Russia is the following: the state not only does not support, but in many respects inhibits the development of a number of circular practices, suggested by Russian environmental and civil activists for implementation and diffusion (Nikitina, 2019;Ermolaevа, 2019). In particular, by hindering the separate collection of waste, the state actually devalues consumers ' efforts to choose the most environmentally friendly packaging in stores, which is a strong demotivator for environmental activists (Barbarossa & de Pelsmacker, 2016).…”