Sochi residents complained about the city's garbage crisis.

THIS MATERIAL (INFORMATION) WAS PRODUCED AND DISTRIBUTED BY FOREIGN AGENT MEMO LLC, OR CONCERNING THE ACTIVITIES OF FOREIGN AGENT MEMO LLC.

Sochi residents are once again complaining about problems with garbage collection in the city. According to them, container sites are overflowing, garbage is being dumped right next to residential buildings, and officials are not responding to their complaints.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," Sochi residents regularly complain about problems with garbage collection. In August 2025, Sochi residents complained that garbage piles were piling up near their homes and were not being removed for weeks. Commenting on the situation, the regional solid waste management operator cited a lack of container sites, careless residents, and an influx of vacationers. In January of this year, residents complained that trash on many streets had not been collected since December, leading to the formation of illegal dumps. In June, illegal garbage dumps near apartment buildings once again became a major problem for many in the resort town of Sochi. Residents in several neighborhoods report a worsening sanitary situation, which was already extremely dire. Residential chats are filled with numerous complaints about overflowing container sites and waste piles near residential buildings. The administration and waste removal officials are not responding to the complaints. Signals are coming from the city's central and densely populated streets, including Tsvetnoy Boulevard, Gagarin, Krasnoarmeyskaya, Tchaikovsky, Novoselov, Kubanskaya, Vishnevaya, Vorovsky, Roz, Inzhirnaya, Konstitutsii, Donskaya, and Makarenko, residents told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on June 19.

Sometimes, trash sits there for weeks.

Svetlana observed how waste removal from public areas is organized from Tchaikovsky Street. "From public trash cans, for example, on the Embankment along the Sochi River, all their contents are dumped into a pile by cleaners in the mornings and stored next to our apartment building. Then a truck arrives, but not always. "Sometimes trash sits there for weeks," she shared.

She also noted the problem with bulky trash. "Where to take a refrigerator? You have to find the collection points yourself. No one searches; they just dump old appliances, furniture, toilets, and bathtubs in the yard," she complained.

According to her, the behavior of the residents themselves remains a significant factor. "If you don't educate people about cleanliness, no one will help. We've forgotten that cleanliness isn't where people sweep, but where they don't litter." "But the so-called resort guests don't count and throw their waste wherever they can, right under their feet," Svetlana noted.

Life in such cramped and unsanitary conditions is becoming impossible for native Sochi residents.

In local chats, residents emotionally describe the general deterioration of the urban environment. One of the discussion participants, Vadim , said he has been living on the Face of Roz since birth for 50 years. "Our street, for as long as I can remember, has always smelled of the roses that grew along it. Then they uprooted the roses, built high-rises on our narrow, cozy street, and now it stinks everywhere, the trash containers are overflowing with trash, including high-risk hazardous waste. The city sewer system can't handle the illegal buildings connected to it. Some developers run sewer pipes directly into the Sochi River, and the courts are allowing these buildings to be commissioned. Life in such cramped and unsanitary conditions is becoming impossible for native Sochi residents," he complained.

Zhanna, a resident of Tsvetnoy Boulevard, described the situation near the commercial premises. "They did the renovations - it's clean and beautiful. "On the very first day, they already broke down the doors and were throwing trash past the bins," she complained.

According to her, the problem isn't just with trash collection, but also with people's behavior. "There's zero respect for cleanliness and order, either among locals or visitors."

Here they are again, dumping trash right on our roadway from high-rise buildings.

Residents of Novoselov Street are discussing initiatives to close the dumpsters altogether. "I just got the garbage collected after a month of going to the authorities... And now they're dumping waste right on our roadway from high-rise buildings again," complains Sergey.

Other residents believe that closing the sites won't solve the problem. "Close the site, and there'll be another dump along the fence that same day. If we close the site, where will we take our own garbage?" asks Nikolay.

Residents also compare the current situation with past waste collection practices in the USSR. One of the discussion participants, Elina recalls: "A car would drive around the neighborhood and stop right in front of the house. People were getting out and throwing their trash right into their cars."

Most respondents attribute the worsening situation to the increasing population and the influx of tourists. Residents believe the infrastructure simply can't keep up with the city's growth. The issue of dividing responsibilities between management companies, the municipality, and regional operators has also been raised, which, according to residents, complicates the prompt resolution of problems.

Regional operators, responding to complaints from Sochi residents, traditionally attribute the disruptions in trash collection to seasonal loads, increased trash volumes, and residents' violations of waste disposal rules, including dumping construction and bulky waste in regular containers.

Sochi residents increasingly agree that without separate waste collection, no operators will help. If separate waste collection isn't introduced, the city will drown in its own waste before the end of the season, according to activists from the Gagarinsky TOS.

* Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.