Hazardous waste and Toxic landfills
For this program we have already successfully been able to lobby 2.5 million euros from the European Commissions special budget. The aim is to identify toxic landfills and create management systems for the treatment. Our goal is to prevent the toxins from ending up in the sea: even at this time the dioxin contents of salmon and Baltic herring exceed the European Commissions recommended content levels. The accumulation of toxic substances in the fauna is a serious environmental problem alongside with eutrophication and the risk that shipping poses to the Baltic Sea.
Baltic Hazardous and Agricultural Releases Reduction
The Baltic Sea Action Group is represented in the Balthazar Project Steering Group and has a role in facilitating the use of best available expertise in selecting the most cost-efficient investments for mitigation of agricultural and hazardous waste pollution from the selected sites as well as facilitating broad based financing for the individual investment projects.
BALTHAZAR -project 2009-2010
Towards enhanced protection of the Baltic Sea from main land-based threats: reducing agricultural nutrient loading and the risk of hazardous wastes
The overall objective of the BALTHAZAR project is to promote protection of the Baltic Sea protection from hazardous waste as well as from agricultural nutrient loading. Implementation of this pilot project in Russia will facilitate the achievement of the environmental objectives of the hazardous substances and eutrophication segments of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan through assistance to the development of national action plans and prioritization of necessary measures.
The Project will aim at reaching this goal by improvement of management of hazardous and agricultural wastes focusing exclusively on St. Petersburg, Leningrad and Kaliningrad Oblasts of the Russian Federation.
Two main areas
1. Identification and management of hazardous waste sources
Knowledge on existence of hazardous waste sources gathered and application in time of technically feasible methods is required to minimize the risk of substances leaking into the environment. There is a need to identify and make an inventory on some of the historic solid waste deposits and landfills which are often abandoned or without ownership. This inventory will provide the basis for the identification of management measures. The project could therefore be continued in a second phase with actions to implement technical improvements on selected sites.
2. Reducing agricultural nutrient loading to the Baltic Sea
Reducing agricultural nutrient run-off should be targeted at the sources contributing most to the eutrophication, using measures that are cost-effective and socially sustainable. The pilot project will contribute to enhanced dialogue between the environmental and the agricultural sector aiming for improved management. This will be done through campaigns involving environment and agricultural authorities, as well as farmers’ associations and a number of companies in the farming business. In particular, the project will address the opportunity for energy-efficient and eco-friendly manure management including recycling and processing for agricultural hot spots, represented by animal farms for extensive rearing of cattle, poultry and pigs.