Tallinn Environment Department Yearbook 2018 1 Tallinn Environment Department 2018 Sisukord The Website of the Tallinn Environment Department 5 1. Environmental protection 7 1.1 Nature conservation 8 1.2 Water protection 9 1.3 Ambient air quality and noise 10 2. Green areas 13 2.1 Communal urban gardening 14 2.2 Parklands and green areas in Tallinn 15 3. Maintenance 19 3.1 Pets in the city 20 3.2 Public playgrounds in Tallinn 21 3.3 Cemeteries in Tallinn 22 4. Waste 25 4.1 Waste management 26 4.2 Tallinn Waste Centre 27 5. Environmental awareness 29 5.1 Campaign of the Maintenance Month 30 5.2 Environmentally Friendly Mobility Month 30 5.3 Raising environmental awareness 31 5.4 Environmental projects of the European Union 36 6. Tallinn Botanic Garden 39 7. Tallinn Energy Agency 43 2 3 Tallinn Environment Department 2018 The Website of the Tallinn Environment Department In 2018, the Tallinn Environment Department completed its new website devoted to environmental issues of the City of Tallinn tallinn.ee/keskkond The launching of the new website arose from the need to make environmental information easier to find and to compile environmental topics in one place based on uniform principles. In addition to reorganising data, a clear visual identity for the city of Tallinn was adopted, helping inhabitants, stakeholders and cooperation partners perceive the city’s activities as a whole. Updates to the website make the information concerning topical environmental issues in Tallinn, incl. nature conservation, landscaping, waste and environmental campaigns, easier to find and more current. Prints and information materials compiled and issued by divisions of the Tallinn Environment Department have now been grouped under a separate field. Another important change is that users will now be able to find the contact information of a specialist they need much easier. The website will also contain news of this particular field, topic pages and databases. Actually this website is only in Estonian, but we will do our best to translate also at least a part of this information into English. 4 5 Environmental protection Tallinn Environment Department 2018 1. Environmental protection The quality of inland water bodies in Tallinn has improved over the last decade. Photo: Mustjõe stream 6 7 Environmental protection Tallinn Environment Department 2018 The most important aspect of this project for the Tallinn quality requirements to the extent of 99.9% of samples. A small 1.1 Nature conservation Environment Department was the relocation of protected 1.2 Water protection amount of water samples did not comply with the quality re- plants. The abundance of the orchids at the side of the bog’s quirements due to an iron content exceeding the maximum limestone shifting covered roads had been known for a long limit or due to turbidity, which were caused by corroded and The most memorable event of nature conservation in 2018 time, which had also caused a dispute over whether or not The water network in Tallinn is quite dense. According to the depreciated water pipelines. Duplicate samples taken after is perhaps the bringing of Scottish Highland cattle to the these trails should be reconstructed to such a large extent. environmental register (as at 7 November 2018) there are 18 maintenance works of the pipelines were in compliance with Paljassaare Special Conservation Area.Other significant ac- During the planning and preparatory works, a solution was still bodies of water (natural lakes, artificial lakes and ponds) quality requirements. tivities include the extensive relocation of protected plants in agreed upon, which allowed for updating the trails while main- on the territory of Tallinn and there are 16 watercourses in the The main objective in the Tallinn environmental protection the Õismäe Bog during the construction of health trails in the taining the growth conditions necessary for the plants. This city (Table 1), plus smaller streams and ditches. development plan for 2013–2018 is to improve the ecological bog, or reintroducing the protection of the Harku Forest to the brought along the largest relocation of protected plants that Tallinn’s publicly used watercourses are the Pirita River and physico-chemical status of the larger water bodies in Tal- agenda. has been undertaken in Estonia to this day; a total of 3,000 (excl. areas of the yacht harbour and the Botanic Garden), linn, i.e. to achieve good ecological status and to preserve and specimens were relocated. The species that were relocated Pääsküla River, and the Tiskre, Harku and Kurna Stream (excl. improve the natural diversity of surface water bodies. were the following: Platanthera bifolia (lesser butterfly-orchid), the sanitation area of Lake Ülemiste). Longer waterways with Epipactis helleborine (broad-leaved helleborine), Epipactis at- larger catchment areas (Pirita and Pääsküla River, Harku Scottish Highland cattle in Paljassaare rorubens (dark-red helleborine), Listera ovata (Common Tway- Stream) collect most of their water from neighbouring mu- Table 1. Watercourses in Tallinn blade) and Dactylorhiza fuchsii (common spotted orchid). In nicipalities of Tallinn; whereas, the catchment areas of small- Catchment The large herbivores were brought to the city mainly to aid in 2019, we will see how the plants adapted to being relocated. er bodies of water are contained within the city limits and Water body Length km area km2 the restoration of the coastal meadows that are endangered The plants were relocated by MTÜ Käoraamat. therefore receive their water from springs on the edge of the by reed beds. The plan to bring the animals into the city had klint and the rainwater in the city. It is also characteristic that Pirita River 113.1 807.8 been prepared for several years. An area of more than 30 ha several watercourses in Tallinn are directed into pipelines. The of the coastal meadow, which had previously been covered by most pronounced examples here are the Mustjõgi and Iisa- Harku Stream 15.7 30.5 reeds for decades, had been planned and inventoried for this Conservation of the Harku Forest ku Stream. Mustjõgi Stream used to be multi-branched and purpose. At the end of last year, reed-cutting commenced at started at the foot of the Mustamäe slope, Männi Park and Pääsküla River 12.7 41.2 Paljassaare for the first time. About half of the meadow area For over 10 years, proposals had been made to add the Har- near the Kristiine meadow. Currently, the 1.2 km estuary is the to be restored is waterlogged because beach ridges prevent ku Forest to protected areas, spurred on mainly by a fear longest part of Mustjõgi Stream that has been preserved as Vaskjala-Ülemiste Canal 10.8 28.6 water from draining from the areas that the sea used to flood that work might be started on building the Pääsküla bypass, an open river bed. Kurna Stream 10.8 44 regularly. The other half of the meadow area is covered with a planned in the framework of the Tallinn Comprehensive Plan. Based on the five-level classification (excellent, good, harder surface where, in addition to reeds, rugosa rose grows Harku Forest is not deemed, as defined in Estonia, as a moderate, poor, very poor) of the state of watercourses, the Tiskre Stream 4.7 50 as well. When rugosa rose grows in large numbers, it does not rare community of species that desperately needs protection state of the city’s most important watercourses is rather mod- leave a lot of space for meadow plants. As the meadow area on the state level. The Environmental Board supports this no- erate. The main reason for the poor state of the Pirita River is Apametsa Main Ditch 3.4 4.1 to be restored has different water regimes, it was first neces- tion. However, experts find that the preconditions for the pro- the diffuse pollution originating from rural areas and the insuf- sary to bring in machines to deal with the unwanted plants: tection of this forest sector at the local government level have ficient work of wastewater treatment plants of small settle- Varsallika Stream 3.4 1.6 one machine for mowing on dry land and one smaller floating been met. In principle, it would also be possible to protect the ments and farms in the catchment area of the river. The state mower. Even though an electric fence would have been suf- Harku forest through the planning process, especially now that of the Harku Stream is exacerbated by the Harku limestone Lepiku Ditch 2.7 ficient for the animals, a more powerful physical obstacle is the comprehensive plan of Nõmme District to be prepared has quarry and an increase in pollution load due to the real estate Mustjõgi (Mustoja) Stream 1.8 13.9 necessary for keeping people out. Therefore, a fence was built essentially abandoned the idea of establishing a highway that development of the Harku municipality. The water quality of for the cattle and an electric fence system was attached to it passes through the forest. The street corridor remains in the the Mustjõgi River has been studied in the framework of mon- Mähe stream 1.6 as well. Upon arrival at Paljassaare in early June, at first the comprehensive plan; however, it is recommended to be used itoring Tallinn’s storm water outlets, as the majority of water animals were a bit timid and preferred to stay partially hidden as a light traffic road. This solution is hoped to help find a -com balance of the Mustjõe River is made up of storm water. The Hundikuristiku Stream 1.4 7.7 in the thicket, but by fall, the cattle could be seen moving about promise between interests of the different parties.