Government simplifies waste management regulation and reduces the burden on businesses

Waste management companies will operate under updated rules that are clearer and more flexible. The step is expected to help strike a balance between environmental requirements and the real operating conditions of industry under martial law. The Government adopted the decision on 30 October.

In particular, the decision provides for:

• developing a landfill control and monitoring program for five years instead of updating it annually;

• simplifying the classification of production residues as by-products;

• making it easier to obtain an opinion for the transboundary shipment of certain types of waste;

• aligning environmental measures with the new waste legislation, which will eliminate legal uncertainty when such measures are funded from the State Environmental Protection Fund;

• introducing transitional provisions for businesses that joined the pilot project on the simplified procedure for obtaining a permit for waste treatment operations, so they can bring their activities into line with the Law of Ukraine "On Waste Management" and the Procedure for Issuing, Refusing to Issue and Terminating Permits for Waste Treatment Operations, approved by Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 1328 of 19 December 2023.

The changes will support the competitiveness of Ukrainian producers on the European market and contribute to environmental protection and public health.