In the town of Malyn, in the Zhytomyr region, residents are suffering from strong odours and noise, whilst window sills and gardens are becoming covered in black soot. People are blaming the local cardboard and paper factory, ‘Papir-Mal’ Ltd, for this and are asking officials to investigate the factory’s emissions.
"Suspilne" reports on this situation.
It’s even hard to breathe
Complaints are coming primarily from residents of the neighbourhood next to the factory. According to them, the problem has been going on for about five years, but previously the factory only burnt things on Saturdays and Sundays, whereas now it sometimes does so several times a day.
Odour and noise are significant factors that cause concern for residents. However, it is soot emissions that cause the most trouble. People say that the air is polluted and difficult to breathe, and in some cases, it even causes damage to the eyes.
"The window sills are black, and everything outside is covered in soot. On several occasions, my 11-year-old daughter and I have had to see an ophthalmologist. They had to remove the soot from her eyes. After that, we underwent a long course of treatment because her eyes were injured, inflamed and red," said Marina Martynyuk.
Soot on the windowsill. Source: Suspilne
Collective complaint
Almost 290 people signed a collective letter of complaint. It was addressed to the Ministry of Economy and Environment, the State Environmental Inspectorate of the Polissya District, the Main Directorate of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in Zhytomyr Oblast, and the Malyn City Council.
"If the soot continues to drift, the smell of burnt rubber persists and there is an unbearable noise day and night, we will appeal to all the relevant authorities again. As many times as it takes. 10 times, 20, 30 — as many as it takes. We have a million pieces of evidence of this. And a million photographs. People live here with small children. The pram and the child’s feet are covered in soot. Not to mention the nursery and the park area, where children play in the open air,” said local resident Iryna.
Soot on plants. Source: Suspilne
The company does not disclose this information
A working group has been set up in Malyn to investigate the situation. On 9 September, its representatives and local residents gathered outside the factory’s entrance. Deputy Mayor Pavlo Ivanenko said that the company had provided documents for review, but the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection claims that the information is insufficient. Furthermore, the commission was not permitted to inspect the factory premises.
"Unfortunately, the management of 'Papir-Malu' did not allow us to visit the company’s premises. According to the company’s environmental officer, the plant has a 50-metre sanitary protection zone; however, neither the environmental officer nor the management of ‘Papir-Mal’ Ltd provided any other documents that might confirm emissions from the plant or noise pollution. Therefore, it is, unfortunately, impossible to objectively assess the situation at the plant,” said Lyudmyla Kozlovets, head of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in the Zhytomyr region.
In order to establish a sanitary protection zone, it is necessary to understand exactly where the sources of noise and pollution are located within the factory premises. It is also necessary to examine the specific nature of the factory’s operations.
The company does not deny that it has received complaints, but insists that it has responded to all of them and accompanied the inspectors on their visits.
The State Environmental Inspectorate also commented on the complaints. They added that the company holds permits for the discharge of pollutants and complies with them.
"There was photographic evidence that microparticles were indeed settling there. We were called out to investigate an environmental hazard, but during our inspection we did not identify any violations. Furthermore, when our inspectors were in the town of Malyn, they did not record any instances of excessive pollution,” said Serhiy Malyarchuk, deputy head of the State Environmental Inspectorate for the Polissya District.
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