Waste management reform: public response on the Internet (part 1)

The paper discusses the features of society’s perception of the process of reforming the Russian waste management system. Based on an analysis of the statistical data of the web resource Yandex.Wordstat over the past two years, it is concluded that the Runet audience has become more interested in the garbage reform innovations planned for 2019 at the stage of their preparation and directly implemented in the regions of the Russian Federation. The results of a content analysis of petitions created to solve various social problems in the field of waste management from January 2014 to August 2019 are also presented from Community Initiatives Change.org. The study revealed that, in general, during the period under review, the highest potential for protest sentiment was localized around existing and newly created waste disposal facilities in the Russian Federation. After the transition to a new stage of “garbage” reform in Russia in 2019, the share of online petitions is increasing, the authors of which are dissatisfied with the cost, nature, quality and other features of the provision of public services for the collection and removal of household waste to the population. Keywords: municipal solid waste, waste management system, garbage reform, waste disposal facility, separate waste collection, waste processing industry, greening, user request, protest behavior, petition.