OREANDA-NEWS  The cost of waste removal has increased in Russian regions. Over the year, the service has risen in price by an average of more than 30 percent, according to the Russian Environmental Operator (REO).

The increase was due to a 30 percent increase in salaries, a 40 percent increase in fuel and lubricants costs and a 60 percent increase in the cost of garbage trucks. It is noted that despite the overall increase in cost, tariffs for waste removal in the regions turned out to be insignificant.

The regional operator Charter LLC noted that in the current economic conditions there is a tendency to increase the gap between the actual cost of services and the tariff level. "The current situation in the labor market forces regional operators to increase the wages of production personnel, despite the fact that the tariff takes into account a lower salary level. In order to eliminate the cash gap, regional operators are forced to take out loans for operational activities," explained Alexey Kurtishvili, Executive Director of the organization.

The expert believes that the cash gap will only increase in the future. According to him, the establishment of an economically sound tariff will help to get out of the situation.

Earlier, Russians called the growth of garbage, household waste and the number of landfills the main environmental problem. 61 percent of the participants in the relevant survey voted for this option.