Waste heaps are man-made mountains of Donbass. Caring for the environment and the beauty of the industrial landscape, miners of DTEK Bilozerska Mine plant the slopes of their waste dump every year. More than a hundred seedlings were planted here this fall.
It is impossible to imagine coal mining without waste heaps. It is here where the rock mined along with valuable coal is dumped. DTEK ENERGY is a responsible and reliable company, a leader not only in the domestic energy sector, but also in caring for the environment. Biological reclamation is an important stage in the ‘life’ of our waste dumps. The new plantations will purify the air and produce oxygen, retain dust, and protect the slopes of waste heaps with their root system from destruction.
‘We start reclamation without waiting for the full capacity of the dumps to be filled. The rock is still loaded on this waste heap, but there are areas that can and should be planted. This year, we have planted maple, poplar, acacia and even cherries. There are more than a hundred seedlings in total,’ said Iryna Shpakovska, Deputy Chief Engineer for Environmental Protection at Bilozerska Mine.
Young plants did not have to be purchased separately. Instead, the miners domesticated the plantings near the waste heaps and those trees that were crowded were moved higher to the slopes. This year, miners, including members of the DTEK Youth Movement of Bilozerska Mine, were assisted by an ‘iron gardener’. The JSB loader deftly and very carefully covered the young maples and poplars with earth.
‘Previously, we brought black soil to the planting site, because the soil on the waste dump is rather harsh. This is how we help the seedlings to better adapt to difficult conditions and take root. We hope to see the results in spring and will continue planting. The height of the waste heap is now 41 meters, so there is still a lot of work,’ summed up Serhii Zhekov, Head of the Surface Technological Complex.