Earlier this autumn BarentsObserver reported about the unsightly scrap heap just next to the newly opened Tamarin pier where most tourists arrive when visiting the island. Loads of metal scrap, old barrels and other waste covered a huge area from the shoreface to the taiga forest.
Now, the scrap metal is collected from the site and is loaded over to a barge that will transport it away for recycling.
Vice-Governor of Arkhangelsk, Roman Balashov, tells BarentsObserver that the clean-up is under way. “It was decided to include the collection of scrap metal and clearing the land into the long-term program for infrastructure for Solovki 2012-2014,” says Balashov.
“The total funding for these activities is 14,7 million rubles.”
Some 350 tons of scrap-metal will collected and then loaded over to a barges before transported away from Solovki.
Arkhangelsk regional authorities list Solovki as one of the top sites for boosting international tourism in the region. The Monastery at Solovki was included to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992 for its outstanding universal value.
