Українська
In waste management, everything starts with data. This sounds both simple and complicated at the same time: where does one source it, what should be analysed, and how? In accordance with the National Waste Management Plan, municipalities are required to develop corresponding plans for their cities and towns. To avoid chaotic decision-making along the way and to take local context into account, municipalities should assess their existing waste management system.
At the same time, there is no clear methodology at the national level: what waste data is needed and how should it be used? The shortage of specialist professionals on the ground makes itself felt as well. And when there is no one to consult, the chosen solutions will, at best, leave the situation unchanged — and at worst, may lead to flawed waste management scenarios.
The Municipal Solid Waste Management System Assessment Tool can help prevent such outcomes and support effective system planning from the outset. In essence, it is a questionnaire for municipalities that helps comprehensively analyse the current waste situation and outline concrete steps for further change.
We developed this tool together with our European partners within the framework of the project “Zero Waste Cities in Ukraine”, supported by the LIFE Programme. And although the questionnaire concerns municipal solid waste, the proposed questions can be adapted to other types of waste that are recommended for inclusion in a local plan.
The questionnaire complements the recommendations of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources on the development of local waste management plans — and goes further, expanding on them to enable the collection of as much useful data as possible. Ultimately, it will allow you to optimise the work of municipal and other public utility services connected to waste management and environmental protection.
What can the questionnaire help with?
Drawing on the waste management hierarchy, we selected questions that allow for the collection of data on waste types, volumes, and places of generation and accumulation. Among other things, the questionnaire will help to:
- Understand the current waste situation in your locality.
- Identify weaknesses in the existing waste management system.
- Establish priority pathways for waste reduction and prevention.
- Strategically plan waste management in the context of the municipality’s post-war recovery.
- Collect data to attract funding for new waste management infrastructure.
Local self-government bodies will thereby be better placed to make informed choices about those infrastructure solutions that will genuinely reduce or prevent waste generation.
What information do we collect and why?
The questionnaire covers general data about the municipality, the regulatory and legal framework, strategic planning, and the organisational structure of the waste management system. A dedicated section addresses the collection, recovery, and disposal of municipal solid waste. Further sections cover financing and operational costs, communication with residents, and all waste management projects known to be active in the municipality — both initiatives already implemented and those currently under way, from local self-government bodies as well as from community activists.
Municipality and population data
The number of local residents directly affects the volumes of waste generated. This section also covers the municipality’s geographical location, climate, administrative structure, and the current political situation, which also influences decision-making in waste management.
Information about the economic situation — including active businesses, companies, factories, and other activities of private or municipal institutions — will help identify priority waste streams and understand what forms of public-private partnership are possible here. This refers to joint projects with businesses or the municipal sector that local authorities can implement for effective waste management, or to prevent certain materials and items from becoming waste in the first place.
Organisational structure of the Waste Management System
The next step is to describe how waste management work is organised from the inside. The questionnaire questions will help clarify exactly who bears responsibility for waste management: which departments of the city or town council are involved, how many specialists work there, and in what roles. It is also important to identify other parties involved in this area — municipal enterprises or private companies — and the basis on which they provide waste management services (whether under contract or by direct instruction from the municipality). This section also examines interaction with other participants in the waste management system: civil society organisations, research institutions, and businesses.
A separate question addresses whether the municipality already cooperates — or is only planning to join forces — with neighbouring municipalities to jointly develop the waste management system.
Considerable attention in the questionnaire is given to reporting. It is therefore worth clearly describing how you collect and store waste data, how frequently the statistics are updated, and who is responsible for this. Key indicators include: how much waste is generated in the municipality per year, what proportion is separately collected, how much goes to recycling, and how much is sent to landfill.
Collection, recovery, and disposal of waste
We have separated these processes in the questionnaire questions, and we likewise recommend that municipalities do the same when drafting a local waste management plan — since these operations require different infrastructure, varying in technical complexity and cost.
Begin by describing the methods used for municipal solid waste collection and whether separate collection takes place. Then describe the infrastructure already in place for this purpose and how close it is to multi-apartment and private residential buildings. An important point to bear in mind: waste management is a public utility service for residents, just like any other, and as such it must be of good quality, convenient, and must not complicate people’s daily lives. Collect information about the types of containers available in the municipality, the routes taken by waste collection vehicles, their technical specifications, and whether the fleet is sufficient.
The next task is to identify the existing methods for the recovery of different municipal solid waste fractions, and to describe the local recyclables market. This covers the recycling of separately collected recyclables, as well as the composting and anaerobic digestion of bio-waste (kitchen, food, and green waste). The data obtained will form the basis for well-founded decisions on the further development of the waste recovery system, taking into account local needs and human and financial resources.
Read the continuation on our blog on the “Decentralisation” portal.
Learn about the experience of municipalities that have already worked with the questionnaire from the tool presentation webinar at the link.
This article was prepared within the framework of the project “Zero Waste Cities in Ukraine” is co-funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.