Eco-solutions: Ukraine approves national waste management plan until 2033

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved a "roadmap" outlining the architecture of a national waste management system designed to align with European Union standards.

This was reported by Rubryka, citing information from the Ministry of Environment.

What is the problem?

Ukraine generates more than 10 million tons of waste annually, including over 500,000 tons of hazardous waste.

The ongoing war has significantly worsened this issue. Official data indicates that the destruction of 94,370 units of Russian military equipment alone has resulted in over 1.4 million tons of waste and approximately 130,000 tons of atmospheric emissions. Additionally, the demolition of residential buildings, industrial facilities, and infrastructure has created millions of tons of construction debris.

Another pressing concern is the breakdown of waste collection, sorting, and recycling systems, particularly in front-line and recently liberated regions. Uncollected waste is accumulating in unsafe areas, forming natural landfills that pose serious risks to both the environment and public health.

What is the solution?

"The adoption of the National Plan marks a crucial milestone in the reform process, which began with the adoption of the framework law On Waste Management," stated Minister of Environmental Protection Svitlana Hrynchuk. "The approval of this document also aligns with the recommendations of the European Commission outlined in the 2023 Progress Report on Ukraine, part of the EU Enlargement Package."

How does it work?

The National Plan includes:

• National Program for Reducing Biowaste Landfilling.
• National Program for Preventing Waste Generation.

It contains an analysis of the current state of waste management in Ukraine, forecast indicators, strategic directions for the development of the industry for 10 years, tools for achieving goals, and mechanisms for monitoring their implementation.

Key targets of the National Plan:

• Coverage of household waste management services to at least 85% of the country's population by 2033.
• Increasing the level of preparation of household waste for reuse and recycling. The target by 2025 is 10% of the mass of such waste, with a further increase in volumes.
• Reducing the landfilling of biowaste by 10% by 2030 and up to 15% by 2033. This includes, among other things, the installation of sorting lines at landfills for the separation of biodegradable waste.
• Implementation of a system of separate collection of household waste in settlements, with an annual increase of 10% of population coverage starting from the second year of the local waste management plans.
• Increasing the preparation for reuse, recycling, and other recovery of non-hazardous materials to at least 70% by weight by 2033, etc.

In addition, the National Plan provides for an inventory of hazardous waste processing facilities, their compliance with legislative requirements, or closure.

Hrynchuk emphasized that after the National Plan enters into force, each region must develop regional waste management plans for a period of 10 years within a year, with updates every four years.

These plans will take into account:

• The creation of a modern waste processing infrastructure.
• The closure of facilities that do not meet environmental standards.

Based on these plans, communities will form local waste management plans.

We remind you that in the spring, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources will begin a cycle of regional trainings for communities and businesses on the practical application of the provisions of the law On Waste Management.

Rubryka also learned that, with the expert support of the U-LEAD Program with Europe, communities will modernize their landfills to increase the percentage of waste recycling and reduce the harm of landfills to the environment. Read more in our material: "How to help communities deal with garbage: the cases of Slavutych and Konotop."