PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Russia’s full-scale invasion has generated an unprecedented wave of construction and demolition debris (CDW) across Ukraine. National estimates point to around 100 million cubic m of rubble, with the Kyiv Oblast alone hosting 296,468.23 tonnes at temporary storage sites (mainly in the Bucha district), creating pressing environmental, logistical and public-health challenges.
Currently, most debris are temporarily stored rather than processed for reuse. Less than 5% of CDW is recycled or repurposed because there are no certified processing hubs, standardised deconstruction practices, or systematic data on recycled content and quality. Hazardous fractions (e.g. asbestos) intensify the risks for workers and communities, while the lack of laboratory capacity limits the testing needed to prove recycled materials meet safety and quality standards, making their use in new works difficult to justify.
At the same time, policy signals and market needs create a window for change. Ukraine’s Resolution No. 1073 (27/09/2022) already allows the use of recycled demolition materials (RDM) in construction; however, the enabling framework (standards, incentives, finance, information systems) remains incomplete.
OBJECTIVES
Objectives
The LIFE D2R-GreenUA project addresses the need for safe, circular handling of construction and demolition debris by creating and testing a replicable, safe and economically viable circular system for post-war debris management in different Kyiv region cities, and supply the policy and market tools needed for wider Ukrainian uptake.
Specific objectives:
- Develop RDMM: design a practical debris-to-materials methodology (sorting, processing, quality assurance, hazardous-waste protocols) suitable for post-war and ordinary urban contexts.
- Design the CCBM: structure the business model (cost-benefit, revenue streams, procurement, partnerships) to ensure hubs’ financial viability, including market outlets for secondary raw materials.
- Establish pilot regenerative hubs in Irpin, Borodyanka, Hostomel to operationalise RDMM/CCBM and demonstrate real-life applications in local reconstruction projects.
- Enabling architecture for safe scaling: integrate EU-aligned data/traceability, embedded health-and-safety risk management, targeted capacity-building and KPI-led monitoring and evaluation so the model operates reliably and scales.
- Policy uptake: strengthen the policy, regulatory, standard-setting and public-procurement framework so recycled construction materials can be safely and routinely specified and purchased at scale.
RESULTS
- Debris reduction: 60% reduction in construction debris in the target urban areas by project end (baseline defined in early WP2).
- Recycling & reuse: at least 50% of collected debris recycled and re-used in local construction/infrastructure pilots.
- Regenerative hubs: set up and fully operationalise 2–3 hubs by mid-term, each processing at least 10,000 t/year.
- Standards & safety: development of standards covering at least 4 of the 5 most common materials (including asbestos), enabling compliant reuse pathways.
- Capacity building: 30–50 participants per session across pilot regions and ≥500 “seed” individuals overall.
- Higher education uptake: at least 3 universities adopt educational modules related to RDMM.
- Economic effects: ≈40% reduction in municipal expenditure for debris management in pilot cities; creation of at least 5 debris-to-resource businesses.
- Policy & scaling: a construction-industry normative framework/policy document presented for consultation.
- Replication & scalability: develop a cluster model engaging municipalities from ≥3 other Ukrainian regions.
