Volgograd Ecopress conducted a campaign to promote a regional management system designed to address a growing threat of mercury containing waste (light bulbs, medical equipment, etc.) contaminating the Volga River and Caspian coastal area. Consultations were first held with environmental authorities in the region to assess the existing challenges in handling the mercury containing waste. Following this, Volgograd Ecopress conducted a thorough assessment of existing practices of other regions in the safe handling of mercury containing waste, including identifying sources of mercury and the latest available data on the safe handling of mercury. With this information and the information gleaned from their previous consultations, Volgograd Ecopress published a booklet for audiences living in the potentially affected areas that described mercury’s hazards to the environment and human health. A workshop was also convened with relevant stakeholders to further promote the issue and initialize a management plan for safe handling of mercury containing waste. From all these activities, Volgograd Ecopress published a report that contains proposals and recommendations for how the local governments can most effectively and safely approach this issue.
