Russia breaks its ‘Zero Waste’ commitment for Sochi games

Fans of the Winter Games will begin filling the “Iceberg” Skating Palace in Sochi in just a few months. Photo by RIA Novosti via Wikimedia Commons

Less than four months before the Winter Olympics in Sochi, the Associated Press has found that Russia has violated its “Zero Waste” pledge by dumping tons of construction waste into an illegal landfill, raising concerns of possible contamination in the water that supplies the resort.

The news agency reported from Akhshtyr, Russia, that the landfill, operated by state-owned Russian Railways outside Sochi, sits in a water protection zone where dumping industrial waste is banned.

In a letter obtained by the AP, the local Environmental Protection Agency said that it had inspected the landfill in Akhshtyr and found “unauthorized dumping of construction waste.”

In its bid, Russia pledged its commitment to an “Olympic Games without waste.” Associated Press reporter Nataliya Vasilyeva wrote this report.