The official presentation of the project “Strengthening of Municipal Waste Management in Ukraine” (WM4U) took place in Kyiv.

The programme is based on Sweden’s Strategy for Reconstruction and Reform Cooperation with Ukraine 2023–2027, Ukraine’s EU aspirations and implementation of EU environmental and waste management legislation, the Paris Agreement, COP28 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Martina Quick, Deputy Head of Mission at the Swedish Embassy in Ukraine, noted that the programme was launched at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his meeting with the Swedish Prime Minister in Ukraine in 2022.

According to her, sustainable waste management is one of the priorities of cooperation between Ukraine and Sweden in the recovery and reform programme. Sustainable waste management is a major challenge that involves everyone at all levels. The EU’s Waste Framework Directive is very ambitious, stating that 60% of the EU’s waste should be reused by 2030. This is a huge challenge for any country, not just Ukraine during the war. Moving towards reuse of materials allows better use of common resources and contributes to sustainability and the creation of a circular economy.

“The Government of Ukraine has already approved the National Waste Management Strategy until 2030. It provides for the implementation of a systematic approach at both the national and regional levels. Waste generation will gradually decrease as more waste is recycled and reused. The strategy will help to develop relevant legislation; improve the state of the environment, as well as the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population. It is also planned to attract investments in the waste management sector and thus create a modern infrastructure that will operate in strict compliance with EU legislation. To ensure monitoring and control of waste management, an information system will be in place that will include information on the range and quantity of waste generated, recycled, disposed of and removed. An important control tool will also be the creation of a National Register of Waste Sources, Waste Management Facilities and a reporting system for business entities,” said Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities and Territories Development.

“Strengthening of Municipal Waste Management in Ukraine (2024-2027) is one of Sweden’s largest development and cooperation initiatives for Ukraine. The programme is funded by the Government of Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and will be implemented by the Swedish Waste Management Association and the international division of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions from 2024 to 2027,” said Olga Glazunova, Programme Manager.

At the national level, the programme aims to develop a waste management strategy, in particular for demolition waste, reform the national tariff system based on the principles of sustainable development, implement recommendations for the separation and treatment of organic waste to reduce landfill disposal and greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen the responsibility of producers for waste management, control gas emissions from landfills, etc.

At the local and regional levels, the programme will support pilot projects to implement the entire municipal waste management chain. The support will include knowledge sharing, equipment and other assistance to local authorities to upgrade their waste management infrastructure and technologies to meet EU standards. This includes planning investments in large-scale processing plants.

According to Vasyl Shkurakov, First Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development, Sweden’s more than 30 years of experience is undoubtedly important for creating a sustainable waste management system.

“Due to the significant destruction caused by the russian aggression, Ukrainian communities have a strong demand for improved solid waste management. According to preliminary estimates, 23 regions in Ukraine have already reported the need to create more than 200 sorting lines, 17 projects have already developed the necessary documentation, and 19 regions have stressed the need to build more than 50 waste processing plants, of which 5 have also developed project documentation,” said Vasyl Shkurakov.

During the presentation, Olena Kramarenko, First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, said that Ukraine already had a framework law on waste management in place, and a number of bylaws had been launched and developed.

The key partners of the new Swedish-Ukrainian multi-year initiative “Strengthening of Municipal Waste Management in Ukraine” (WM4U) are the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, international and local stakeholders, including local and regional authorities, associations of local authorities, international donors and financial institutions, such as Nefco.