Solutions to win: Kharkiv uses recycled reconstruction waste to restore war-affected housing
Ukraine's Kharkiv region supports its war-affected communities by implementing a circular construction and repair project called Circular Construction in Practice.
What is the problem?
The Dergachiv community in the Kharkiv region, located close to the frontline, has been severely affected by Russian shelling. Residents need to rebuild the housing and minimize the amount of construction waste.
What is the solution?
The Zero Waste Kharkiv project helps residents of the community rebuild their homes and prevents construction and repair residues from ending up in landfills and dumps.
Volunteers help rebuild the Ruska Lozova village and the whole Dergachiv community by collecting, sorting, and delivering materials to residents of destroyed housing.
How does it work?
Zero Waste Yard is a site where construction materials and recyclable items are accumulated and delivered to Ruska Lozova.
Locals can bring reconstruction waste, which can potentially end up in a landfill or dump but may be needed to rebuild and repair the affected premises, such as building materials, doors, windows, bathtubs, toilets, faucets, furniture, etc.
Every resident can take what they need to restore their own premises or bring something they no longer need but may need for others.
The organization seeks to introduce circularity in construction, which is especially relevant given that Ukraine has produced approximately 450,000 tons of construction waste during the full-scale war.
Kharkiv opened the EcoHub initiative in 2018, which was forcibly closed in December 2022 due to the war. The idea to reopen the EcoHub was embodied in the Zero Waste Yard.
The Zero Waste Yard has a sorting zone, a reuse zone, a reuse shop, and a repair and upcycling workshop where you can repair or give a second life to your belongings.
The project is implemented by the Center for Civic and Media Initiatives (Zero Waste Kharkiv) within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian project "Support for Ukraine's Recovery", which is being implemented as part of the support to Ukraine by Switzerland with funding from Swiss Solidarity and SDC and is being implemented by a consortium consisting of Helvetas, DESPRO, Skat Consulting Ltd.
How can a house destroyed by Russia help to build a new one? Rubryka looks at how Ukrainians pick up the pieces and (literally) put them back together to rebuild their country after the war.
