TSU Student Builds Map of Illegal Dump Sites in Tomsk With Real-Time Tracking
A student at Tomsk State University, Pavel Yatkin, has developed a digital platform that enables residents to mark illegal dump sites on a map, while authorities can track their removal in real time.
The idea emerged during an internship at the regional Department of Natural Resources. Yatkin analyzed 2,500 citizen complaints over five years and found that one-third were related to waste, with 72% of those concentrated in the Leninsky and Oktyabrsky districts. The platform operates on a two-step model: residents photograph a dump site and upload it with coordinates, while municipal services update the request status from “new” to “resolved.”
The project is currently in open testing. Its launch coincides with intensified cleanup efforts: nearly 300 dump sites were removed in the region in 2025, and authorities plan to eliminate about 50 more in 2026.
