After Rosh Hashanah municipal workers removed more than 200 tons of garbage from Uman

Uman municipal services have removed more than 200 tons of trash from the pilgrimage area after the Rosh Hashanah celebrations concluded. This was stated on air by Oleh Hanych, First Deputy Mayor, on SUSPILNE on September 14, per Glavkom.

This year Uman received the largest number of pilgrims in years — about 50 thousand haredi worshipers. Preparations for such an influx began in advance: since the beginning of September, utility workers were sweeping even during the nighttime curfew, and once the holiday began, machinery and janitors worked around the clock.

According to Hanych, cleanup after the pilgrimage does not happen in one day.

“It isn’t easy, because we understand that another city has arrived in our not-so-large town. It arrived not just, but to a small designated area where they are staying. We understand that even now, when pilgrims leave the homes where they lived, the people who hosted them will continue to dispose of their trash,” the deputy mayor explained, adding that trash removal will continue for at least another week and a half to two weeks.

Uman resident Yuliana, who lives near the pilgrimage area, told SUSPILNE that the only real inconvenience this year for her were the traffic jams.

“In past years fewer of them gathered and it was a bit easier. This year, if I took my child somewhere — it took me 10 minutes. Now — about 40 minutes. They are positive. I did not see them harming anyone,” the woman noted.

Funds for cleaning on such a scale will be partially covered by the tourist tax that pilgrims pay for accommodation: the city budget this year is expected to receive more than 25 million UAH, and 15% of these funds are planned to be directed to housing and communal needs, including street cleaning.

photo: Suspilne

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year celebrated annually in Uman near the grave of the spiritual leader of the Breslov Hasidim, Rabbi Nachman. This year’s celebration lasted two days — from 11 to 13 September.

For reference, last year after Rosh Hashanah Uman’s utilities removed trash six times a day — according to Oleh Hanych, the city coped with the load thanks to advance infrastructure preparation.