May 17, 2013, Vinnytsya — Representatives from the MAMA-86 Chemical Safety Program Olga Tsygulyova and Denys Pavlovsky took part in events of the European Information Center in Vinnytsya dedicated to the celebration of the Europe Days in Ukraine – a news conference and a conference on "Implementing an e-Waste Management System Based on the Experience of Poland" (www.myvin.com.ua/ua/news/events/21008.html, vn.ukrcei.org/maintheme/vpershe_u_vinnici_startuvav_proekt_zi_zboru_vikoristanih_batareiok.html).

Ms. Tsygulyova reported on the current status and prospects of waste management in Ukraine. She emphasized that, according to expert estimates, Ukraine is among countries with the highest absolute volumes of waste generation and accumulation. It generates 700 to 720 million metric tons of waste annually. The total weight of waste accumulated in Ukraine on its surface disposal sites, according to various estimates, makes up 25 to 30 billion metric tons, or 40,000 to 50,000 metric tons per one square kilometer of the country's area.

As for municipal waste, there is a tendency for an increase in the number of unauthorized disposal sites, mainly in neighborhoods of privately-owned houses, and an increase in the number of overloaded waste sites. Also growing is the number of sites in need of conditioning, reclamation and sanitation – due to a very slow pace of respective works.

Ms. Tsygulyova focused separately on the problem of e-waste, which Ukrainian legislation presently lists as part of municipal solid waste, and presented the project "Public lobbying of implementation of the European approaches to the solution of the problem of e-waste in Ukraine," implemented by MAMA-86 with support from the International Renaissance Foundation's European Program.

Denys Pavlovsky presented experiences of European countries in e-waste management regulation. In the EU, electronic device manufacturers are charged by law with responsibility for the collection and recycling of used electronic equipment through deductions channeled to a special fund. That means, everywhere in the EU there is a principle of extended producer responsibility, according to which e-waste is mostly recycled – and it is an uptrend.

The Ukrainian legislation on e-waste is not perfect and nor does it work, so environmentally-conscious citizens in Ukraine have no choice but keep this type of waste till better times.

Mr. Pavlovsky also cited instances of civil society initiatives and projects in Ukraine attempting to implement practical European standards and approaches to used batteries, which represent a dangerous component of municipal solid waste, able of making an extremely negative impact on both environment and health.

In 2013, the Europe Days in Ukraine are observed from May 7 through 27 in 19 Ukrainian regions, and are very important in view of approach of the signing of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

The Ukrainian Network of European Information Centers with support from the International Renaissance Foundation's European Program coordinates organization of events, held in a new format this year. Beside the traditional European Blocks, two new components were added to the European Days in Ukraine: the showing of documentaries on human rights and web conferences with experts in European standards.

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The European Program aims to promote Ukraine’s European integration, combining external pressure of the EU with the domestic one of the Ukrainian civil society, and thus contributing to promotion of open society values in Ukraine.

Video: VITA television channel news