The Velykobychkivska territorial community is located in the Rakhiv district of the Zakarpattia region. This is a mountainous region, and due to the environmental requirements for the arrangement of waste disposal sites, there is no landfill of its own. The area is extremely polluted and is on the verge of rapid garbage collapse.
Garbage waste is taken to a landfill in Ivano-Frankivsk, but later the authorities of Ivano-Frankivsk may refuse to enter into agreements for the disposal of garbage from communities from outside the region. Therefore, the optimal strategy for the Velykobychkivska territorial community is the maximum coverage of all settlements within the community with a system of separate waste collection with preliminary separation of the “wet fraction”, that is, food and green waste, which must be collected separately. In this way, 20-30% of the total volume of garbage will be left for disposal at the landfill, which will make it easier for the authorities to decide which landfill it will be taken to.
Systems of selective collection of solid household waste from the population into containers in the Velykobychkivska territorial community have been implemented partially and mainly in the village of Velykyi Bychkiv. The situation is worse in other settlements of the community.
The introduction of a Separate waste collection system in the community requires:
- increasing the number of sorting sites and opening recycling points;
- changing the behavioral habits of community residents – they must learn to sort garbage. Changing behavioral habits is key to solving the MSW problem and it needs an informational and educational approach. Namely, the implementation of the educational program in all schools of the territorial community.
Territory of activity: Velykobychkivska territorial community, Zakarpattia region.
Purpose: to introduce an ecological and educational component of sustainable waste management into the school program of Velykobychkivska territorial community through the development of the Program “Sustainable waste management – in school education!” by the Education Department of the Velykobychkiv Settlement Council in cooperation with the NGO “Ekosphera” and the approval of the Program by the session of the Velykobychkivska Settlement Council.
Goal 1: Carry out an information campaign regarding the need to fully implement the system of separate collection of solid waste on the territory of the TG through the introduction of an educational component into the school curriculum
Goal 2: Implement this educational component in the school curriculum of territorial community schools through the development and approval of the local Program «Sustainable waste management – in school education!»
Goal 3:To institutionally prepare the teachers of the Velykobychkivska territorial community to work according to the school program “ABC of solid waste management”.
Results:
- As a result of the introduction of the educational component of sustainable solid waste management, in particular, education of solid waste sorting skills into the school curriculum, within 3 years in the Velykobychkivska territorial community, the system of selective collection of solid waste will cover all 100% of the population.
- On the territory of Velykobychkivska territorial community, the amount of waste that is taken out of the community to the landfill today will be sharply reduced by 20-30%. The company “Ekobat Shuravi” LLC is already operating on the territory of the community, which provides services for the removal of solid waste and collects recyclables in a container.
- The NGO “Ekosphera” will continue to cooperate with the Velykobychkivska territorial community in the direction of developing a local waste management plan until 2030, as required by the National Waste Management Plan, and finding funds for the development of infrastructure (container park) for selective garbage collection; as well as in the direction of developing local programs to support small and medium-sized businesses in the field of recycling materials.
Partners: Netherlands Helsinki Committee
The grant initiative “Sustainable waste management – in school education!”, implemented by the NGO “Ekosphera”, was made possible thanks to the support of the Netherlands Helsinki Committee within the project of the Netherlands Helsinki Committee “Voice of the community and influence on reforms”.
