At least 239 million rubles are needed to complete the remediation of the Novoselki landfill, according to an announcement made on June 16th by Viktor Mironov, acting director of the Center for Integrated Improvement. The announcement was made during an on-site meeting with deputies of the Legislative Assembly and journalists.

The project has already seen approximately 2.2 billion rubles invested over the past eight years.

According to the Center for Integrated Improvement, 68% of the landfill area has been remediated to some degree by 2025. Two main issues of concern to residents have been addressed: the strong odor of organic waste has been eliminated, and no new waste is being deposited at the site.

The work has been suspended currently. A prefabricated wastewater treatment plant has been built at the landfill, but it is not yet operational.

Mironov explained that since the original remediation project was developed in 2015, environmental requirements for such work have changed. Furthermore, the environmental review’s expiration date has long passed, making a new review necessary to proceed with the work.

The “Novoselki” landfill, opened in 1972, spans about 71.8 hectares. It was closed in 2017, and remediation began following numerous complaints from residents of northern St. Petersburg regarding the foul odor emanating from the site. The remediation project was initially developed in 2015.

The initial plan aimed to neutralize the landfill within seven years, but this timeline could not be met due to sanctions and corruption scandals.

In 2022, a criminal case was initiated concerning the embezzlement of around 100 million rubles, leading to the arrest of the owner of “Profstroy Severo-Zapad,” the general contractor for the landfill’s remediation. Additionally, the Committee for Improvement reported difficulties in procuring foreign equipment for gas diversion, necessitating a replacement.

The plan is to treat wastewater from the landfill to a level suitable for river discharge. The CCB also intends to finish building a gas extraction system. The extracted landfill gas will likely be burned. Across the road from the landfill, a site is being prepared for the “Nevsky Ecological Operator’s” “Novoselki” Waste Processing Complex.