Цей запис також доступний українською.
On May 24-25, the International Renaissance Foundation’s Environmental Policy and Advocacy Initiative for Ukraine (EPAIU) held its fifth annual conference. The two-day discussion was devoted to the waste management reform. The lion’s share of the participants’ reports and discussions focused on the waste produced by a full-scale war and the reform of the waste management system in the context of recovery and European integration, i.e. processes that should be planned in advance and acted upon now.
The Conference was held with the financial support of Sweden. With its assistance, the Renaissance Foundation has been implementing the EPAIU Environmental Initiative, which is aimed at the development of environmental NGOs, for five years.
The co-organiser of the event is Zero Waste Lviv, an NGO that is part of the institutional cohort of the EPAIU Initiative and has many years of work experience and expertise in waste management. For two days, environmental experts, the public, the business community and the government discussed and searched for the best solutions for Ukraine in a field that might erroneously seem inessential during the war. However, if you dig deeper, you can see that waste management concerns both the strategic processes of Ukraine’s recovery during and after the war and everyday problems at the municipal level. And the difficult and brutal period of the war is at the same time a period of change and hope. Hope for the European future of Ukraine in the European community, which is contingent on reforms, including the waste management system reform.
“From Practices to Reform: Waste Management System in the Context of Recovery of Ukraine, European Integration and Climate Change” is the title of the Fifth Annual EPAIU Conference.
The discussion was attended by representatives of a dozen environmental organisations advocating sustainable and “green” solutions, researching environmental problems and looking for practical ways to solve them. Among them were grantees of the Environmental Initiative of the Renaissance Foundation, as well as partners from its other directions such as the development of analytical centres, municipalities and the implementation of European integration policies in Ukraine. There were also representatives of local authorities and the Ministry of Environmental Protection, since the dialogue with those directly executing the Ukraine Recovery Plan is important at all its stages. Experts from other European countries such as Sweden and Italy as well as the Zero Waste Europe network shared simulating foreign experience and best practices.
Watch the full recording of the two days of the Conference right now on the websites of the Renaissance Foundation and Zero Waste Lviv or on the Facebook page of the event.
Although the war shifted the spotlight from environmental reforms, it did not succeed in diverting attention from the environment as such. Ukrainians’ resilience and environmental commitment are worthy of respect and admiration. For example, to take part in the panel discussion “Waste of War: What to Do?”, one of the participants, Maksym Bubruienko of Ecological Initiatives LLC, joined the broadcast directly from the front lines, because he is currently defending Ukraine as part of its Armed Forces. And the speech of Mykola Vavryshchuk, Deputy Mayor of the Khmelnytskyi City Council, was interrupted by air raid sirens going off in his city. Even though this is our current reality, despite everything, we gather together to plan human-centred and environmentally-oriented recovery and reforms.
The state of the environment today is more relevant than ever. Russians destroy not only our homes, but also entire ecosystems and protected areas. The destructive force of Russian aggression threatens our lives now and our future, because Ukraine and the world will be affected by the consequences of Russia’s environmental crimes even after victory. Fortunately, both the state and civil society of Ukraine are already reacting to the potential threat: they are monitoring the situation, assessing possible consequences and planning further steps.
Therefore, the discussions emphasised the role of environmental NGOs in the waste management system, both in terms of hard impact (influence on the formation of the legal and regulatory framework) and soft impact (hanging the attitude of ordinary citizens, changing the situation at the grassroots levels through the implementation of driving models of practices piloted and implemented by NGOs).
Oleksandr Sushko, Executive Director of the Renaissance Foundation, and Maria Lindgren-Saltanova, Deputy Head of the Mission of the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, addressed the participants with opening words.
“The war continues, and we do not know its final price. However, we do know for sure that after the victory, Ukraine must transform. European integration provides a number of chances to modernise Ukraine using the best practices tested in other countries,” said Oleksandr Sushko.
He also noted that although waste management is seemingly a technocratic issue, it has a significant impact on people’s lives. “There is a reason that there is so much talk about polluting the planet – scientists have long warned us that the planet is overflowing with waste. The European Union has sufficiently advanced waste management standards, and Ukraine has the time and opportunity to enlist its help to rely on proven solutions and technologies. Despite the drama of the current moment, there is an awareness that there is no room for delays. We have to answer questions such as ‘What will Ukraine be like?’ and ‘How will the recovery of the whole country look like?’ now.”
Maria Lindgren-Saltanova reaffirmed Sweden’s steadfast support for Ukraine in the field of environmental protection. And not only because the whole world supports Ukraine. What we do here is important for the European Union itself.
“Climate neutrality and waste reduction efforts, supporting the implementation of the principles of the circular economy and long-term sustainability of processes are among the priority directions of the EU. Therefore, this conference is very timely. Ukraine is implementing reforms — there is political will and an impetus — and this is important in the context of current efforts,” she said.
The main part of the conference began with the panel discussion “Reform of Waste Management in Ukraine in the Context of Recovery and the European Green Course”. It was moderated by Oksana Dashchakivska, Manager at the Renaissance Foundation.Roman Filonenko (Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources) spoke about the progress of the reform and readiness for the entry into force of the Waste Management Law and its relevance to Ukraine’s recovery.
The cases of Sweden, a country with experience in the best waste management technologies, were presented by Weine Wiqvist of the Swedish Waste Management Association, former head of a waste processing plant in Malmö. He believes that the driving forces of the waste management system are deep waste processing techniques for its further reuse; rules, laws and regulations adopted at all levels of management; and, most importantly, acceptance by the local population.
Enzo Favoino, Chair of the Scientific Committee of Zero Waste Europe, explained why the approach of zero waste cities is key in the proper reform of waste management, talked about the operational aspect of zero waste and the pay-as-you-throw system.
“Our common global goal is to minimise residual waste. The separate collection of organic waste is important because it has a significant impact on increasing the recycling cycle, as well as on climate change. And this is what should and can be done in big cities. […] Success depends on proper communication and well-oiled processes. For example, after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the number of Ukrainians living in Milan doubled to 20,000. And they all quickly learned how to properly sort waste. An established system stimulates behavioural changes,” said Enzo Favoino.
Iryna Myronova, Executive Director of Zero Waste Lviv, spoke about the efforts of her NGO to help the Lviv municipality implement the tools to achieve to the city’s zero waste status. “The presented cases of Sweden and Italy for Ukraine can serve as an example. Waste management is not only about sorting. It’s about everything: about our attitude to daily life, habits, consequences, future,” she said.
“We all need to work hard on framework agreements for legislation regulating waste disposal, waste behaviour and waste management at the national level. As a civil society, we should remember that much remains to be resolved at the municipal level. Unfortunately, we will be faced with many more problems after the end of the war. I am amazed at the depth of knowledge and expertise we are already gaining on these issues. This can be the foundation for pilot projects and innovative solutions that we will be ready to share,” Oksana Dashchakivska, Manager at the Renaissance Foundation, said to summarise the discussion.
The issues to be discussed in the panel discussion “Waste Management Industry Laws” included a review of the legislation such as draft laws on packaging waste, restrictions on the distribution of single-use plastic products, the law on restrictions on the distribution of plastic bags in Ukraine; extended producer liability as a key policy tool and how to ensure implementation on the ground; interaction of authorities, businesses and community; legalisation of informal waste collectors within the system.
“At the moment, waste in Ukraine is unregulated. How much is generated? How much is processed? We do not have exact data. The framework law defines the waste management hierarchy as the main principle of state policy,” said Tetiana Tevkun, Waste Management Reform Manager from the Reform Support Team under the Ministry of Environment Protection.
Mykola Vavryshchuk, Deputy Mayor of Khmelnytskyi, added that reforms were impossible without responsible and motivated people on the ground. And they do exist. And rather than money, their motivation is investments in the future, in a clean environment.
Liubov Bokalo, Analyst at Zero Waste Lviv, shared the results of a study conducted by the NGO on the composition and role of the groups of informal collectors of recyclables in the city’s waste management. Learn more about it here.
As was noted by the moderator of this panel discussion, Natalia Andrusevych (Resource and Analytical Centre “Society and Environment”), there is a lot of work to do at various levels, including policy, legislation and practical implementation. “We heard many examples of the efforts of NGOs and activists, and this is inspiring. However, we need to fix all these things at the legislation level, establish liability and lay down all important details in the laws. Therefore, it is very important to listen to municipalities and cities. There is a extensive outreach to be done with local residents and people. And it is within the power of NGOs to work with them, teach them and convince them,” she said.
Tetiana Zhavzharova (Ekosens NGO, Zaporizhzhia), Natalia Starodubets (Bery and Slav NGO, Beryslav and Drohobych), Ivan Kalosha (Zaporizhia Without Garbage NGO, Zaporizhzhia), Olena Savchenko (Women and Children with Disabilities of Northern Donbas NGO, Kramatorsk and Ivano-Frankivsk) talked about how NGOs implement waste management practices in their communities and what they do to encourage environmental habits among local residents, in particular among young people.
Lectures on environmental psychology, workshops, plogging, planting trees, community gatherings for weaving camouflage nets from leftover fabrics and proactive outreach — these small steps at the level of even one small municipality can jumpstart wider changes. Because their beginning lies in the fostering of new environmentally-oriented skills. The initiatives presented by the speakers of this panel discussion were supported by the Environmental Initiative of the Renaissance Foundation as part of the competition for small grants for organisations from the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine.
The projects presented by Olena Savchenko and Tetiana Zhavzharova also prove that waste can be put to good use, including in order to make both exciting art objects and practical things. Moreover, Ecosens’ team also prepared an exhibition of upcycling products created by the “green master” Dmytro Korshykov.
Natalia Starodubets of Bery i Slav explained how their NGO worked with young people by creating a sorting station at a school in Drohobych. Bery i Slav’s team also offers awareness-raising events for children and teenagers, and in February, it held the contest “We Are Environmentally-Conscious Children of the Future”, in which children created Tik-Toks about eco-sorting, drew posters, pictures and made crafts using recycled materials.
Ivan Kalosha of Zaporizhia Without Garbage presented their plastic cap collecting project. The team used the caps to create a bench in a local park to show that environmental habits can provide the community with necessary and useful things.
“Future environmentally successful Ukraine is a synergy of lawmakers, experts, executive bodies and civil society, NGOs working on the ground in their communities. Their contribution should not be devalued or underestimated if they work in small communities. Together we are doing a very important thing. And this synergy will help us all,” said Serhii Pronkin, Head of Nova Druzhkivka NGO and moderator of this panel discussion.
“Waste of War: Practices of NGOs in Addressing the Problem” was another spotlight discussion focusing on waste generated from destruction and waste processing in wartime and post-war period.
Nadiia Kuhuk of Zero Waste Lviv talked about the solution that their NGO had proposed to the city to reduce the volumes of waste in Lviv’s humanitarian headquarters such as reusable food containers for food delivery instead of disposable packaging, returnable dishes and containers instead of disposable ones, dishwashers for institutions cooking food for IDPs, etc. Anna Ambrosova of Stop Poisoning Kryvyi Rih also shared her experience. This public union is currently is conducting a study of waste generated from destruction. “What is the waste of war? These are unexploded shells and their fragments, burned vehicles and military equipment, used disposable NLAW systems, batteries and ruins of buildings. All of this also contains hazardous waste,” she explained. Ms Ambrosova also presented the interim results of the study and the steps necessary to overcome a possible crisis with this waste.
Victoria Shymon spoke about the experience of Neo-Eco, a French company that only recently entered Ukraine and is trying to find practical solutions for the recovery of Ukraine. Their pilot project “Hostomel” is aimed at rebuilding the town of Hostomel through a circular economy. Kristina Brihida of Ekoltava also shared the results of their study of the morphology of solid waste in the host communities.
Maksym Bubruienko (Ecological Initiatives (LLC) and Denys Pavlovsky (Chemical Safety Agency) also took part in the discussion. The latter spoke about the harm of asbestos, which was widely used for construction in the USSR and is now scattered due to the destruction of buildings.
Oleksii Orlovskyi, Director of the Democracy and Good Governance Programme of the International Renaissance Foundation, summed up this panel discussion. “The war forces us to rethink certain points that we did not think about or overlooked previously. This urges us to approach these problems differently and act in an environmentally-conscious manner in the process of our reconstruction, recovery of our lives, change of what has been destroyed,” he said.
What exactly should we do? Mr Orlovskyi proposed the following solutions: to develop general rules, principles and labelling of waste. “Unfortunately, we are yet to reach the point where, regardless of our physical residence, staying within Ukraine, we behave in the same way, have the same rules and approaches as in Sweden. Hard work and long-term efforts are necessary to foster the same style, approach, and understanding in the entire country. It is great that we are starting to see the presence of international companies that are ready to work with this specific complex waste generated during the war. In the first months of the war, we heard little, and while we were aware of such practices, there was no systematic approach. It is getting better now,” said Oleksii Orlovskyi.
As part of the last thematic panel discussion of the Conference, Alberto Confalonieri (Italian Composting Association) and Yamit Naftali (Home Biogas) talked about the chain of organic waste: biogas production – composting – fertilizer for agriculture, biogas and methane from organic waste as an important source of renewable energy.
The discussion on decentralised and centralised composting of organic waste, municipal practices, landfill reclamation, waste reduction and organic waste management was continued by Anna Prokaieva (Centre of Public and Media Initiatives, Liubotyn), Natalia Senyk (Green City utility company, Lviv) and Mykola Shlapak, climate change expert.
From Zero Waste to Zero Emissions: Lviv Case based on the Report of the Global Alliance for Incineration Alternatives was presented by Iryna Myronova, co-author of the Report. Mariella Vilella (Zero Waste Europe) explained how the zero-waste city approach helped to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote adaptation to climate change.
The experts also talked about the global initiative to reduce methane emissions and Ukraine’s action plan on methane emissions from solid waste landfills and agricultural waste.
“On the path to European integration and in the process of recovery of Ukraine, we have a lot of work ahead of us, and this work must be synergistic. We must join forces to strengthen and support each other. The Conference is a platform for communication, exchange of experiences, joint work and problem solving,” said Tetiana Kukharenko, Head of the EPAIU Environmental Initiative of the Renaissance Foundation.
As Iryna Myronova, Co-Organiser of the Conference, also noted, “Waste management is always relevant. In times of war, this is a critical service for host communities where the number of residents instantly doubled. Therefore, much more waste is generated that needs to be disposed of. Those cities that had better waste management systems coped with this load more easily. […] However, our task is to prevent archaeologists from finding too much of it in the future. There is ample European and global experience. It must be studied, applied and adapted locally. Although this path is not easy, we see where to move forward.”
Review by: Nadiia Kuhuk (Zero Waste Lviv), Oleksandra Oberenko (International Renaissance Foundation).
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The Conference was held as part of the International Renaissance Foundation’s Environmental Policy and Advocacy Initiative for Ukraine (EPAIU) with financial support from Sweden.
