Gov’t sets up Coordination Council to supervise the launch of a new waste management system in Ukraine

At its session April 25, the Gov’t adopted a decision to establish a Coordination Council for the implementation of A Strategy of waste management in Ukraine until 2030, which was approved last year. This was announced by Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Ostap Semerak. The Coordination Council will become a temporary consultative and advisory body within the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine designed to coordinate the activities of ministries and departments in developing and adopting of new legislative framework and to assist the executive authorities in the regions to transfer to a new waste management model.

"Given 25 years of lacking a clear state policy and waste management system, Ukraine has almost become choked in rubbish and not only household wastes. Problems with other waste groups, such as industrial or hazardous waste, are much deeper. I mean negative consequences both for the environment and for the health of citizens. The newly-established Coordination Council will help coordinate the actions of central and local authorities in the process of shaping and implementing a new waste management system in Ukraine," explained Ostap Semerak, recalling that the Government had approved the National Waste Management Strategy the previous year, while a National Plan for the implementation of the Strategy is being drafted.

He noted that the decision on the setting up of the Coordination Council had been agreed with the other 17 line ministries and departments the representatives of which had been included in it. In general, the Coordination Council is composed of 50 people. Among them are heads of central and local executive bodies, MPs of Ukraine, scientists, representatives of the Association of Ukrainian Cities.

It’s worth noting that at the end of 2017, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the National Waste Management Strategy until 2030, which envisages a significant reduction in the amount of waste disposal and increase in the level of its processing, as well as the introduction of separate collection of household waste.