Municipal solid waste in Ukraine: challenges and opportunities

Abstract

From 2017, Ukraine has been actively developing legislative framework in the field of waste management based on European practices and experience. With the adoption of the main law On waste management in 2022, the principles of waste hierarchy and circular economy were used in the development of new waste management systems at national and regional level. Nevertheless, the main method of waste management in the long term is dispose to landfills and dumps (90%).The existing separate waste collection system in more than 1,400 settlements is ineffective. The recycling sector is experiencing a shortage of secondary raw materials, while they replenishes the existing landfills and dumps. Today, there are more than 5,700 of them with a total area of about 8,000 hectares, not counting illegal dumps. A typical Ukrainian landfill does not provide a high level of environmental protection. Landfill gas collection and treatment systems are being actively implemented at large landfills, while leachate collection and disinfection systems works only at few (1-2%) landfills. Under war conditions, landfills and dumps are actively replenished with waste from destruction, in addition to specially organized sites. Creation and development of effective municipal solid waste management systems is possible on the basis of constructive dialogue between the population, business, waste management sector and recyclers, representatives of the authorities. Inconsistency between legislative reforms and opportunities for their implementation aggravates the crisis situation in the waste sector.