ZERO WASTE CITIES IN UKRAINE

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

Ukraine’s waste management is undergoing significant change thanks to a new law on Waste Management adopted in June 2022, which kick-starts the harmonisation of Ukrainian and EU waste legislation.

 

The war in Ukraine demonstrates the importance of decentralised and resilient municipalities capable of withstanding critical conditions, and of rethinking the country’s overall waste management strategy (WMS). As a result, in 2023 the Ukrainian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, supported by the UNDP APENA2 programme, adapted the WMS to take Ukraine’s new reality into account and make it applicable until 2035. 

 

However, waste management system assessment and analysis are not currently prioritised. Current solutions focus mostly on building new infrastructure without a clear understanding what is needed locally, while regional and municipal administrations generally lack professional experience and capacity for a systematic and sustainable approach.

OBJECTIVES

With support from 4 EU municipalities, and EU and Ukrainian NGOs, LIFE-ZWC-UKRAINE aims to improve waste management systems in 4 Ukrainian municipalities. The project will: 

 

• conduct an in-depth audit of the existing waste management systems of the participating municipalities
• develop efficient solutions for waste infrastructure and the municipal waste management systems as a whole
• strengthen institutional capacity through comprehensive training for municipalities employees
• ensure the long-term planning and roll-out of sustainable waste management frameworks for the 4 municipalities
• develop zero waste strategies and climate-neutral infrastructure solutions based on waste hierarchies and circular economy principles
• launch 1 infrastructure pilot project per municipality, focusing on bio-waste, textile waste, electrical and electronic equipment waste, hazardous waste and construction and demolition waste 
• encourage replication across other municipalities by promoting project outcomes through case studies, pilot blueprints, webinars and workshops
• provide Ukrainian municipalities with the practical knowledge and skills to implement projects according to EU waste management framework requirements

RESULTS

The project’s expected results are:

 

• 4 Ukrainian municipalities adopt an improved waste management system with clear positive environmental impacts
• at least 648 537 citizens enjoy the positive impacts of local community and municipal communal services
• greater cooperation between local decision-makers, government authorities and civil society
• each municipality has access to good quality data about the conditions of their waste management systems
• each municipality has an understanding of what needs to be done after project completion, and a full set of tools to do it for at least 5-10 years
• policies and procedures for each participating municipality to improve institutional capacity and reduce staff turnover
• enhanced private investment, public funding and/or public-private financing
• qualitative and quantitative feedback from residents to enable projects to be scaled up, and others to be implemented
• presentation of the municipal WMS to at least 53 municipalities in the Volyn region, 48 municipalities in the Kherson region, 55 municipalities in the Kharkiv region, and 41 inhabited areas (2 cities, 1 town, 7 settlements and 31 villages) in the Pokrovsk territorial community
• a thorough blueprint of each pilot project for use by other Ukrainian municipalities
• needs assessment methodology available for use by other Ukrainian municipalities
• an advocacy manager recruited and trained to ensure the project results are promoted and communicated