Waste recycling plant opens in Zhytomyr

Ukraine's first waste recycling plant, built with the funds of a private investor, was launched in the regional capital of Zhytomyr, Rubryka cites city mayor Serhii Sukhomlyn.

What is the problem?

Environmental activists at the Ekoltava NGO calculated that each middle-class member produces a truckload of waste yearly. Waste is becoming the number 1 problem for our civilization, drowning in its garbage. Landfills have long since turned into ecological disaster zones.

In some countries, landfills are even prohibited, and some countries, like Sweden, have such an efficient recycling system they no longer have them. Considering the war in Ukraine in our country, the lack of environmental regulation in the occupied territories, and people displacement, the amount of waste in some parts of the country has increased many times.

What is the solution?

To replace landfills in Ukraine, Zhytomyr is the first to open a waste recycling plant that can reduce waste in the region. The City Council reported that the plant, with a capacity of 85,000 tons per year, was built on the outskirts of Zhytomyr in February 2022.

This is the first waste recycling plant built in Ukraine at the expense of a private investor. The project cost of construction amounted to 9 million euros.

How does it work?

The plant does not burn waste but has two lines for its sorting and composting. The production results will be secondary raw materials, energy, and environmentally friendly fertilizers. Equipment installation at the plant was completed a year ago. In December 2021, the website of the Zhytomyr City Council announced that the plant would start operating in test mode in January 2022 and would already accept waste for processing in February. Still, the company did not process the first batch of garbage due to the russian invasion on February 24, 2022, which covered many regions of Ukraine, including the Zhytomyr region.

Sukhomlin emphasized that the city authorities deliberately did not announce the plant launch and refused to hold a grand opening because, at one time, the enterprise attracted a lot of attention from the russian mass media.

"That's why we didn't focus on this event. The first stage of the waste plant is already working; the depth of processing today is approximately 40-45%Shortlyure, Croatian specialists should arrive and start the second phase. Then, according to the project, the depth of processing will be 80-85%. The processing should reach such a depth in a few months. So this project is moving," said Sukhomlyn at the session of the Zhytomyr City Council. 

According to mayor Sukhomlin, the first workshop of the plant is already working. Besides, the company is preparing to launch the second stage. Specialists from Croatia will visit the city to help with the launch. As reported by local media Zhytomyr.info, the Croatian company Techniks planned to handle waste recycling in Zhytomyr.