It will become easier for Ukrainian businesses to comply with waste management regulations. The decision was adopted on October 30, as reported by the Ministry of Economy according to their official announcement, and cited by Dengi.ua.
The changes include five key provisions affecting industrial enterprises, landfill owners, and waste management companies.
What Specifically Will Change for Businesses
First, landfill owners will no longer have to update their control and monitoring program annually. Now, it can be developed for a five-year period at a time. This will reduce the costs of preparing documentation and the time spent on administrative procedures.
Second, the process of classifying production residues as byproducts will be simplified. For businesses, this means a clearer procedure for determining the status of materials generated during production that can be reused.
Third, companies will find it easier to obtain permits for the cross-border transport of certain types of waste. This should simplify the paperwork for businesses that need to move such materials across the border.
Fourth, environmental measures will be brought into compliance with the new waste legislation. This is expected to eliminate legal uncertainty regarding the financing of environmental protection projects from the State Fund for Environmental Protection.
Fifth, transitional provisions will be established for businesses that participated in a pilot project to simplify the process of obtaining waste treatment permits. They will be given time to bring their operations into compliance with the “Waste Management” Law and the government’s regulations on the issuance of permits.
Why the Rules Are Changing
Ukraine’s “Law on Waste Management” took effect on July 9, 2023. It replaced previous legislation and introduced new requirements for enterprises, including a permitting system, extended producer responsibility, and rules for monitoring landfills.
The scale of the problem is significant: according to estimates by the Ministry of Economy, more than 460 million metric tons of waste are generated annually in Ukraine. The majority of this waste comes from industry. According to the State Statistics Service, primary production waste accounts for about 76%, while municipal waste accounts for approximately 2%.
The government expects that updating the regulations will reduce the administrative burden on producers, maintain the competitiveness of Ukrainian businesses in the European market, and simultaneously ensure the protection of the environment and public health.
