On December 27, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The repackaging of unsuitable pesticides has been completed in the Vitebsk region, as reported to BELTA by Maria Oleneva, chief specialist of the Vitebsk Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. Thus, the Regional Committee for Natural Resources, the Vitebsk Regional Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and the Vitebsk Regional State Inspectorate for Seed Production, Quarantine and Plant Protection have carried out one of the largest environmental operations – the repackaging of toxic substances. Now, the pesticides will be stored in sealed warehouses, without harm to the environment, awaiting disposal at special neutralization facilities. In the Vitebsk region, 690 tonnes of unsuitable pesticides, unused since the 1970s-1980s, were stored in warehouses of agricultural enterprises and agro-service companies, in a wide variety of packaging. Active work to minimize the impact of these hazardous substances on the environment began in the region in 2001. Since then, a number of works have been carried out on the arrangement of underground pesticide burial sites, pesticide storage facilities in agro-service companies, their accounting and inventory, and local monitoring of the condition of water bodies and soils in the areas of underground pesticide burial sites has been organised. The main part of the pesticides was repackaged in 2004-2007 and transported to special warehouses: the "Complex of Toxic Industrial Waste" in Chechersk, Gomel region, and the long-term storage warehouse "Dernovichi-1" in Polotsk district. As of the beginning of 2011, over 100 tonnes of unsuitable pesticides requiring urgent repackaging were present in 13 districts of the region. In June of the current year, within the framework of an international project, organised and partially financed by the Global Environment Facility, the final stage of repackaging unsuitable pesticides stored in the warehouses of agro-service companies and agricultural enterprises began in the region. For these purposes, the GEF allocated 1.4 thousand units of special packaging and personal protective equipment. Br160 million was allocated from the nature protection fund to complete the project and pay for the work.