900 urban landscaping features made from recycled plastics will be installed in Perm and Amur Oblasts
17 march 2022
Two of Russia’s regions will be hosting the launch of the RE-FORMA eco-project that amalgamates environmental protection and urban landscaping. The project seeks to demonstrate how recycled plastic can get a second lease on life by being converted into useful items including about 900 new benches and trash cans produced out of recycled plastic to be installed in parks and squares of Perm, Blagoveshchensk and Svobodny. Local resident will get a chance to help make these items by taking part in collecting the plastic waste needed for their production. The RE-FORMA project is being implemented with support from SIBUR's Formula for Good Deeds social investment program.
In both regions, the project will be implemented with the involvement of local recyclers: Perm’s REFORMA and BlagEco, a waste recycling plant in Svobodny. A network of sites for collecting recyclables will be set up in the participating cities where residents will be able to drop off their collected plastic waste. Maps with the collection points’ addresses as well as recommendations on how to properly collect and sort waste will be made available through the cities’ media and published on the project’s pages on such social networks as VKontakte and Telegram. The collected Type 2 and Type 4 plastic waste (polyethylene) will be recycled with the use of a state-of-the-art process to feed the production of eco-friendly benches and trash cans. It will take 4 to 5 thousand plastic bags or 1.5 thousand bottles of household chemicals to make one bench. Thus, instead of being dumped at a landfill, these items will be made useful again.
Perm, that is celebrating its tricentennial anniversary this year, will see 190 benches and 180 trash cans installed across the city, whereas Svobodny and Blagoveshchensk will receive an additional 500 landscaping features fabricated out of recycled polymers. All these new features will get installed in the fall of 2022.
Sergey Protsenko, Head of SIBUR's Government Relations and Socio-Economic Development in the regions of its presence:
As the project’s partner, SIBUR is interested in seeing its key sustainable development challenges properly addressed. This includes fostering a culture of lean consumption and promoting the so-called 'green' values. By installing benches and trash cans made of recycled plastic in our cities’ streets and squares we will be encouraging local residents to take a fresh look at the problem of household waste recycling. They will serve as a perfect illustration of mindful and conscientious consumption. By recycling plastic waste, the residents of the regions of SIBUR’s presence will be able to join the global mission of reducing our carbon footprint by means of waste collection and recycling, as well as contribute to making their cities more beautiful and livable.
The RE-FORMA project, that has been enjoying the support of Perm Oblast’s Ministry of Housing and Utilities, administrations of Perm’s municipal districts, the Government of Amur Oblast, and GBU ECOLOGY, is being implemented in partnership with SIBUR, Russia’s largest oil and gas chemical company. As part of its Formula for Good Deeds social investment program, SIBUR has been implementing various conservation projects that seek to foster a culture of responsible waste management.
Elena Snezhko, Chief Expert for Investment Support and Social Policy, Head of SIBUR's Formula for Good Deeds social investment program:
One of the foci of SIBUR's sustainable development strategy that is being partly implemented via the company's social investments program, is to support the development of a circular economy that includes responsible waste managements as one of its integral components. RE-FORMA will serve as a vivid example of how joint efforts and individual input made by everyone who participates could contribute not only to reducing our environmental impact, but also to helping improve our urban environments.