Waste Management in Ukraine: New Challenges and Opportunities in Wartime

Abstract

Although waste management system in Ukraine has been slowly transforming due to close integration to European Union, a new challenge – hostilities – has significantly impacted the system. Since the beginning of the war, many companies have suspended activities, and therefore less waste is generated comparing to peacetime. After constant increase, 2.5 times less waste was totally generated in 2022. Almost all waste categories have decreased, except spent solvents, paper and cardboard wastes, which were doubled. Analyzing the waste structure after 2022, one can admit a significant increase in the amount of construction waste, medical waste, metals (destroyed military equipment), old cars (damaged and destroyed cars used by volunteers and the military). Over 670,000 tons of demolition waste have already been generated in Ukraine since 2022. One of the main challenges is military waste collection due to safety reasons and huge area it is placed at. Military waste collection is completely different from traditional waste collection. There are also many cases of destruction of waste management infrastructure, particularly transport equipment. Also, hazardous components of demolition waste (waste electronics, medical waste, batteries, lamps, asbestos-containing slate) may be a big issue. Hostilities also affected Ukraine's fulfilment of international agreements and obligations. Despite the challenges associated with hostilities, this gives the opportunities to improve waste management and deploy a circular economy in Ukraine. When restoring destroyed and damaged plants, an environmental modernization, application of cleaner production technologies, and creation of own capacities for industrial waste processing are supposed to be implemented.