Ukraine plans to join several Nordic and Baltic countries in adopting a harmonised pictogram scheme for the labelling of packaging and waste collection receptacles. Following a study visit to Sweden, where the waste management pictograms system is already in use, the Ukrainian Ministry for the Development of Communities and Territories has indicated its intention to implement the system, the Swedish Association of Waste Management and Recycling (Avfall Sverige) reported last week. The draft decision had been forwarded to other government ministries for their approval.
Avfall Sverige is one of two organisations spearheading WM4U (Waste Management for Ukraine), a multi-year initiative through which Sweden aims to support Ukraine in reforming its waste management practices and aligning them with EU standards. The project is now in its second year.
The Nordic pictogram system, which uses colours, icons and text to make source-separation and recycling easier, was developed in Denmark and has been implemented with limited changes in Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden. A modified version is used in Estonia and Norway. In a consultation organised by the European Commission last year, it was noted that, of existing schemes, the Nordic system is most closely aligned with the requirements for a harmonised labelling system that will be introduced under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).
Andrik Mols, technical project manager of WM4U and international project manager at Avfall Sverige, was pleased that Sweden and Ukraine would be using the same symbols in the future. "I am convinced that adopting the Nordic sign system will help [Ukrainian] citizens sort waste more effectively, make recycling easier across different locations, and become an important piece of the puzzle for increasing material recovery rates," he said. A significant share of household waste in Ukraine is still landfilled.
WM4U marks a year of Swedish-Ukrainian cooperation
The Swedish development and aid programme extends beyond waste management labelling efforts. Earlier this month, the first annual conference for the WM4U was held in Kiev. Speaking on behalf of the Ukrainian government, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture Iryna Ovcharenko emphasised the need to align Ukrainian standards with European ones and highlighted WM4U's role as a catalyst for change in waste management and environmental protection.
"In just one year we are already seeing capacity development and new ways of working. This programme is not just about waste, it is about sustainability, about communities and citizens who, despite the war, are investing in a more sustainable future," said Tony Clark, CEO of Avfall Sverige.
Important progress during WM4U's first year includes cooperation between municipalities, the development of regional plans, studies on waste charges and landfill gas, and practical support for donations and training. More than 1000 waste collection containers had been transferred from Swedish municipalities to Ukrainian partners. Within the scope of the cooperation, the Swedish municipal company Renhållningen Kristianstad also donated a bio-methane fuelled waste collection truck to the community of Lozova, Kharkiv region in late September.
