Debris fills the air around the landfill. Photo from website devoted to closing the landfill.

This map shows the location of the landfill, very close to the town.

The landfill was created in 1964, but complaints from locals have amplified over the past 10 years as the landfill has continued to grow. Federal legislation prohibits the presence of solid domestic waste within a built-up area. In 2014, authorities closed 21 of 39 landfills in the region – with the waste from different towns in the region now being directed to the Kuchino landfill.The tipping point came on June 15, when a person from Kuchino spoke to President Vladimir Putin about the problem live on air, during one of the Kremlin’s annual broadcasts where citizens can phone in with their problems and questions. Kuchino local Yelena Mikhailenko told Putin via a live link that the situation in the town was “simply unbearable”. She continued, “Fires occur on the landfill daily; it is impossible to breathe, and there is a constant release of gases, methanethiol and sulphur dioxide. They become converted to hydrogen sulphide, and we breathe it. Many suffer from nausea and vomiting all the time. It is unbearable.”Putin promised to fix the situation as soon as possible – but not without first swiping at the people who chose to build there. “By the way, I see that you are standing by a building that was clearly built less than 50 years ago. Someone decided to build housing near a waste disposal site that has been there for 50 years.” He continued, “Nevertheless, […] it is our duty to respond.”Ektarina Ivanova (not her real name) lives very close to the landfill – she can see it from her window.