Today, on World Children's Day, we are running a perfect campaign in the community - plogging that has gathered 500 participants, including 100 children. This is a powerful impetus to environmental education and awareness. And I assure you that starting from the communities, their activity and participation in such actions, and the environmental protection begins. Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine Hennadii Zubko announced participating together with European partners in the #MyCleanCommunity plogging rally, in Velyka Dymerka Consolidated Territorial Community in Kyiv region.

"It is a perfect tradition that started as an organized activity from Sweden, not just to jog, but also to pick up litter. At the Government level, we have drafted a new waste management policy, adopted the National Waste Management Strategy until 2030 and the National Action Plan for its implementation, we expect regional waste management plans to be elaborated. But that is insufficient if there is no activity at the level of the communities. And every year as the reform of decentralization prolongs the number of such communities that are concerned about the environment and introduce household waste sorting is constantly growing", said Hennadii Zubko.

Representatives of the foreign embassies and international organizations being active supporters of the decentralization reform in Ukraine, local residents and employees of the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services took part in the plogging rally.

"Today’s main participants in the action are 100 children, who, together with their parents, are cleaning the territory of their community, thereby making this world clean and their bodies fit. There is no limit to improving the environment. No matter how much Europe contribute to environmental security, unless our country harmonizes our standards with European standards, starts sorting domestic waste and engages in work to reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere – we will never succeed", the official said.

According to him, by 2021, there will appear in Ukraine 50 regional centers, which will have a roadmap for each community containing detailed data regarding the amount of garbage, its sorting and reuse. Hennadii Zubko said that it’s a short-sighted solution to think only about the construction of landfills, even if the communities maintain a cleanliness policy and civilized waste management strategy. Ukraine must develop solutions to ensure massive waste treatment.

"The movement starts from the top. This is the development of strategy, planning, the establishment of regional centers. But we are very much counting on the oncoming traffic. And this is the activity of communities that already want to live in a clean environment. Moreover, the prospect of not only spending money on waste disposal but also making money on rubbish. Because rubbish is a raw material, processing of which, for example, in heat energy, can give additional profits", said the Deputy Prime Minister.

Hennadii Zubko reminded that over 5 years of the implementation of the decentralization reform in Ukraine, almost 900 CCs were established. More than 1,000 territorial communities have concluded 397 inter-municipal cooperation agreements, of which over 80 contracts are in the sector of waste management.