Russians are very reluctant to pay for the most important segment of housing and communal services during a pandemic, namely, for the removal of solid waste. In March alone, the volume of payments decreased by 30%. Full information on payments for April will be available only in May, but already now experts predict a decrease in payments by an average of 30-50%. In the Trans-Baikal Territory, the fall in fees for March is estimated at 25-30%, in the Primorsky Territory - by 28-35%, in Adygea - by 20-25%, in the Yaroslavl Region - by 10-20%.
And this despite the fact that these companies now bear the financial burden of decontaminating containers for storing waste. According to the order of Rospotrebnadzor, each dustbin must be treated with disinfectants for at least 50 seconds using high-pressure sprayers.
Despite the fact that the state is ready to allocate subsidies for these needs, the rest of the costs are entirely borne by the organizations themselves. Some service providers and management companies offer various kinds of bonuses and promotions to somehow stimulate the population to pay for utilities. For example, in St. Petersburg, the management company of several residential complexes announced that the owners of apartments over 65 years old in its houses will not be charged rent in April, all housing and communal services will be free, including heat, water supply and water disposal.
Source: Russian newspaper