How can hromadas prepare for waste management reform?

On February 16, a webinar took place, “How hromadas can prepare for waste management reform”. It was arranged by NGO “Zero waste. Lviv”, NGO “Ekoltava” and the project of international technical aid APENA 3. 

In June 2022, the Law of Ukraine has been passed, “On waste management”. It gave a thrust to long-expected reform of the branch, which in turn is to unzip the keen problem of landfills, absence of recycling and expanded manufacturer responsibility. The law takes effect on July 9, 2023.

“This law complies with the 98th framework Directive, being the first significant and strong step to European integration in what concerns implementation of waste management principles”, – points out head of Department of waste management and ecological security, Ukrainian Ministry of nature and resources, Roman Filonenko.

But that the reform could be successful and have effective outcomes, hromadas must be prepared for it. Strategic planning in territorial hromadas may be a piece of help here. 

“While planning waste management system one should point out the objectives and target indicators, consider segregation management (household waste, discarded packaging, hazardous and medical waste, etc.), provide implementation of system, and regional action plan”, – says national expert in waste management, co-author of legislative and subordinate laws regarded to waste management reform and developed within APENA 3, Oleksandr Ihnatenko. 

Among the components of regional strategy of waste management, there is analysis of morphological composition of municipal waste. This was made, for instance, by NGO “Ekoltava” and NGO “Zero waste. Lviv”, within shared project «Inspection of solid municipal waste management in host hromadas in the time of russian aggression in Ukraine», in Poltava and Lviv respectively. Project outcomes were presented by analysts during the webinar. 

“The outcomes for Poltava show that organic waste prevails in local garbage containers. We have public containers for waste segregation. Yet during the inspection we have found out the poor level of sorting. Trash is usually dumped together into containers for mixed waste”, – says project coordinator, NGO “Ekoltava”, Nadiya Hroza.

The outcomes in Lviv display similar case. Food leftovers constitute a considerable part of total waste in public containers. 

“Here are some conclusions from the research: separate collection of organic waste and its recycling must become prior within solid municipal waste management; the guidelines on definition of morphological composition of solid municipal waste require update; the project of classification of waste should be improved; waste management reform must be implemented, in the part that deals with solid municipal waste, on the basis of real data regarded to morphological composition of solid municipal waste”, – states director, NGO “Zero waste. Lviv”, Iryna Myronova.

The webinar has gathered over 100 participants from Ukraine.

Link to recorded webinar: 

https://www.facebook.com/Ekoltava/videos/577396107635891/ 

The webinar has been conducted under support from International fund “Vidrodzhennia”, financial help from Swedish embassy in Ukraine and from the European Union.