The event focused on key challenges in the field of solid waste management.
Why do municipalities need this?
The problem of waste is one of the most critical for local self-government. Today, in addition to complying with new environmental standards, municipalities must look for tangible solutions, and first of all, it relates to separate waste collection. This was stated by Rostyslav Savchenko, Head of the Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in Sumy Oblast
What has been done so far?
Iryna Kashpur, Director of the Department of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Sumy Regional State Administration, spoke about the key steps taken by the oblast:
“We already have 19 local waste management plans designed, five of which have been approved by the Regional Military Administration. We are also working on clustering the oblast: Sumy, Romny-Konotop, and Shostka clusters have been created.”
Iryna Kashpur explained that the cluster approach would allow municipalities to pool resources, reduce costs and together solve complex infrastructure issues, such as the construction of landfills or sorting stations. This is vital for small municipalities that cannot maintain a comprehensive waste management system on their own.
She also highlighted the cooperation of municipalities with U-LEAD experts: 16 local waste management plans have already been developed for Romny-Konotop cluster and a regional landfill design has been created for Konotop.
According to public official, to introduce an integrated waste management process, municipalities need to start with something simple: appointing a person responsible for the solid waste management direction; assessing the current situation; developing a local plan and integrating it into the regional plan. Once these steps are done, you can start looking for investors and consider opportunities for intermunicipal cooperation.
Field experience: the case of Bereza municipality
Serhii Kozhedub, director of Blahoustriy Service, a municipal public amenities company of Bereza Village Council, shared the story of the transformation of the solid waste management system in a small municipality.
According to him, the municipality began efforts in this direction from day one. From the very beginning, work was carried out to arrange a system of garbage collection and removal. Participation in various projects helped Bereza municipality devise a vision and develop a Local Waste Management Plan, which Sumy Regional Military Administration has already approved in 2025.
Serhii Kozhedub describes the waste management system in Bereza municipality as the coordinated functioning of various elements that are slowly coming together into a holistic model. Today, the municipality runs Hospodar-1, a municipal company in charge of collecting and transporting household waste. For this purpose, both a specialised garbage truck and tractors are used. They introduced several separate collection points and equipped a place for sorting with BigBags and a manual hydraulic press.
Bereza municipality is part of Shostka cluster. Landfills in the region are not operational, so the municipality is looking for options for intermunicipal partnerships and attracting international technical assistance.
The event showed that the municipalities of Sumy Oblast are ready not only to talk about the problem, but also to implement specific solutions.
“We can see practical steps that the municipalities of Sumy Oblast are already taking. They form teams, design local waste management plans and unite to work on joint projects. This is how a sustainable foundation for an environmentally safe and conscious future is laid,” said Rostyslav Savchenko.
