Does Ukraine have a chance to fundamentally change the current catastrophic situation with garbage dumps? Are we able to join the club of successful states, resource-conscious and environment-conscious.

Each of us has heard more than once that the problem with the accumulation of garbage is very acute in Ukraine. Gradually, our state is turning into a big dump. As follows from the draft National Waste Management Strategy in Ukraine until 2030, in just 2016 citizens formed about 11 million tons of waste. This is approximately 250-300 kg of garbage a year per person. And this figure annually has a clear tendency to increase, although the population is declining.

At the same time, only 5.8% of these 11 million tons were recycled or disposed of. The rest of the waste was sent to landfills and landfills. The latest in Ukraine now has about 5,5 thousand. According to experts, about 99% of the functioning landfills do not meet the requirements of the European Union for landfills.

In addition, it should be noted that we are talking only about “officially collected” solid domestic waste and official landfills. And how much household waste “unofficially” was taken out and left in forests, parks and quarries … Only according to official data, more than 27 thousand unauthorized dumps are formed annually.

At the same time, in many highly developed countries of the world, garbage has long become a valuable resource. It is reasonably used for the production of energy, fertilizers and as a secondary raw material. Moreover, for example, Sweden not only recycles 99% of garbage, but also imports it from neighboring states. Therefore, it is quite natural to ask how these countries were able to successfully solve the problem of waste accumulation and whether Ukraine has a chance to follow their path?

The construction of an efficient and integrated waste management system in these countries became possible because, firstly, they created the necessary legislative base. And, secondly, through the education of environmental consciousness in society.

The EU has long adopted and successfully applies directives for handling various types of waste – packaging waste, waste of electronic equipment, batteries. The main essence of these directives is the polluter pays.

They provide for the creation of organizations with extended producer responsibility (ODS), which are responsible for separate collection and processing of waste. Such OWVs independently conclude contracts with municipalities, logistics companies, processing enterprises, etc. They are financed by contributions from producers who pay in accordance with the quantity of their products on the market.

At the same time, the system is built in such a way as to prevent inefficient use of funds. In particular,

– only producers can be OWW members, and not, for example, processing enterprises;

– OWWF are accountable to producers, who, in turn, are interested in maximizing the effective use of funds and meeting the norms for the collection and processing of waste;

– The state carries out general monitoring of the operation of the ODS, determines at the legislative level the collection standards, establishes waste processing standards, etc.

The question arises, why did Ukraine, which chose the policy of European integration and harmonize its legislation in line with the best practices of the EU, still did not adopt similar legislation? Moreover, the Association Agreement with the EU provides for the need to adopt such legislation.

Partly, the reason for developing a quality draft law. This is a fairly long process. On the other hand, there is no desire to accept such changes. After all, in Ukraine for many years companies paid a separate fee for each produced or imported packaging, or packaging. Since 2001, this collection was received by the state enterprise Ukrekokomresursy, which with these funds was supposed to create conditions for separate collection of waste, processing and further use as secondary raw materials.

There are various conversations where these funds were directed and why, for all the inefficiency of the collection, it has not been canceled for years. The only thing we can say for certain, these funds did not reach the destination, and the system of separate waste collection was never created.

Foreign and Ukrainian companies for many years demanded to abolish the monopoly of Ukrekokomresursov and pass a law on packaging and packaging waste, which provides for separate collection and recycling of packaging waste.

In March 2015, with the active assistance of Minister Aivaras Abromavičius, the monopoly of this state company was able to cancel the collection. However, unfortunately, for the second year the parliament can not accept the draft law on packaging and packaging waste. It is as close to practice in the EU and is actively supported by the business community. But the Verkhovna Rada regularly registers new bills. Most of them provide for the introduction of an environmental tax, which again will be charged for the production of packaging or goods in the package.

As for an environmentally conscious society, this concerns not only separate collection of paper, glass, plastic and organic waste at home. But also careful attitude to the environment and resources in general.

Despite the much higher income than in Ukraine, the average German or Frenchman will not buy a car that consumes 15-20 liters of fuel per 100 km. They will not leave the lights on for the entire night in the entrance, because this is communal property and the bill for paying for electricity will not come to them.

Of course, the philosophy of taking care of nature and understanding the exhaustibility of resources arose in highly developed countries not in one day. This was promoted by high tariffs for energy carriers, state information campaigns, and high fines. In Singapore, for a cigarette stub out on the street, you risk losing $ 500, and for smoking in the wrong place – you pay $ 1,000.

Of all the above, only high tariffs for utilities have been introduced in Ukraine so far.

At the same time, no information campaign will be effective if each of us does not make a conscious decision to take care of the environment. Each of us personally should improve the situation a little! Perhaps, having explained to your child or persuading friends not to leave garbage in places not intended for it, or to waste energy, water, fuel only because there is a financial opportunity.

Each of us is obliged to do everything in his power to solve the waste problem and improve the situation with the environment. Without all of us, our country has no real chance to effectively solve the problem with the accumulation of waste