Waste Management Expertise Attracts Russians

A group of six delegates from Russia will visit Nova Scotia next week for a look at this province's solid waste management program.

The visit is part of the Russia-Canada Project on Co-operative Environmental Decision Making, a joint partnership between the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment and the Russian Federal State Committee on Environmental Protection. The delegation will be led by Dr. Viktoria Kroutova, chair of a land use committee in the Russian parliament. It also includes specialists in lands and resources, ecology, and water and waste water research and design.

Environment Minister Michel Samson said the visit is a result of seminars provided in Moscow last March by Gerard MacLellan, who is in charge of implementing solid waste management programs for Nova Scotia's Environment Department.

"We are proud of our achievements in solid waste management, and we are happy to share our knowledge," said Mr. Samson. "The Russian group was impressed with our waste management strategies and now hope to learn more by seeing how our facilities actually operate."

The delegation will tour several of Nova Scotia's waste-resource management sites and participate in the second annual Waste Diversion Conference and Trade Show being held in Halifax on May 3 and 4.

Laura Lee Langley Department of the Environment 902-424-2575 E-mail: [email protected]

Gerard MacLellan Department of the Environment 902-424-6303 Cell: 902-499-6378 E-mail: [email protected]