New market analysis on Ukraine's waste management sector

This year, the NUCC manufacturing project is focusing on the waste management sector in Ukraine, recognizing it as a one of the key areas for expanding Norwegian-Ukrainian business collaboration. The sector presents significant opportunities, driven by Ukraine's growing need to develop and modernize its waste management infrastructure and Norway's expertise and advanced technologies in waste management. We believe that there is substantial potential for deepening bilateral cooperation and fostering mutually beneficial partnerships in this field.

In collaboration with Civitta Ukraine, we have conducted comprehensive market analysis aimed at identifying opportunities and forecasting the future of the Ukrainian waste management sector. To request your free copy of this analysis, please contact our Project Manager Anastasia Antonyk.

Summary of the market analysis

Waste management sector consists of collecting, transporting, disposing, recycling, and monitoring waste items in a manner that minimizes environmental and health impacts. There are several treatment and disposal methods available, including composting, recycling, landfilling, and waste-to-energy incineration. However, the most common method of waste disposal in Ukraine is open dumping.

In recent years, there have been significant changes in waste generation in Ukraine, particularly during the conflict in the east of the country and after the full-scale Russian invasion. The growth of waste volumes is associated with the recovery of the economy and increased consumption after 2016, but at the same time, the level of recycling remain slow.

Industrial waste constitutes a significant part of the waste generated in Ukraine and consists of various materials that are formed at various stages of mining and processing of mineral resources. Also of great importance are the issues of household waste management and the restoration of objects destroyed by hostilities, which require appropriate strategies and investments to solve these problems.

Ukraine is one of the countries with the largest absolute volumes of waste generation and accumulation. Ukraine generates about 10 tons of waste per capita per year, compared with 5.5 to 6tons of waste per capita in the European Union according to the NationalInstitute for Strategic Studies. Ukrainian volumes are of serious importance considering the extremely insufficient level of their utilization and disposal compared to the indicators of waste accumulation in the European Union.

In the current conditions, the problem of production and consumption waste accumulation is one of the leading threats to environmental safety. These days, the volume of waste generation, including chemically hazardous substances, is growing in Ukraine, and the area of unauthorized landfills is significantly expanding.

To solve this problem, in 2017 the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the National Waste Management Strategy in Ukraine until 2030. Amongst other things, the strategy envisages establishment of regional waste disposal centers, introduction of circular economy principles and extended manufacturer’s liability to encourage businesses to minimize waste generation and get interested in waste recycling, as well as establishment of the 5-step waste management hierarchy introduced in the European Union.

According to the EU-Ukraine AssociationAgreement (signed in 2014), the Ukraine’s legislative framework needs to be adjusted in line with EU law to implement environmental standards of waste management to the level of EU member states. The full implementation of the commitments requires full adaptation of the legal principles of solid waste management to the requirements of the European Union. At this moment, Ukraine is actively harmonising its legislation with the European Union’s requirements in many spheres, including waste management.

Reach out to receive a comprehensive report!