Journal
УКР   ENG
Socio-Economic Problems
of the Modern Period of Ukraine
   



Collection SEPSPU -- sep2026.01.068

Repository of Institute of Regional Research UDC 628.4(477):352.07; JEL Q53, H79, R58
Kulish, I. M. (2026). Rehional'na polityka upravlinnya vidkhodamy v Ukrayini v umovakh suchasnykh vyklykiv [Regional waste management policy in Ukraine under contemporary challenges]. In Sotsial'no-ekonomichni problemy suchasnoho periodu Ukrayiny [Socio-Economic Problems of the Modern Period of Ukraine]: Vol. 177 (1) (pp. 68-75). DOI: https://doi.org/10.36818/2071-4653-2026-1-10 [in Ukrainian].
Sources: 18

Authors



Kulish Inna Mykhaylivna

Ph.D. of Public Administration, Senior Researcher

Senior Researcher of the Department of regional ecological policy and environmental management of the Dolishniy Institute of Regional Research of NAS of Ukraine

Contacts: inna.m.kulish@gmail.com, reksi@email.ua

Webpages:

Resume

The article examines regional waste management policy in Ukraine under contemporary socio-economic, environmental, and security challenges. It substantiates that waste generation, accumulation, and treatment have evolved beyond a purely environmental issue and increasingly function as a determinant of regional and socio-economic security. The study analyzes national trends in waste generation, recovery, incineration, and landfilling during the period 1995–2020, taking into account significant methodological changes in official statistical reporting introduced after 2010. These changes expanded statistical coverage to include household waste and waste of lower hazard classes, which explains the sharp increase in reported volumes without indicating actual physical growth. The results demonstrate the persistent dominance of landfill disposal and a chronically low level of waste recovery, indicating structural inefficiency and limited development of waste treatment infrastructure in Ukraine. Incineration remains marginal, while energy recovery technologies are underutilized compared to European Union practices. Particular attention is paid to hazardous waste management, which is constrained by high treatment costs, technological complexity, institutional fragmentation, and risks of illegal disposal and underreporting. A regional case study of Lviv oblast covering 1995–2023 reveals spatial disparities in waste management practices and confirms the predominance of landfill disposal at the regional level. The analysis identifies the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the growth of medical and hazardous waste streams, as well as the destabilizing effects of military actions on waste generation and treatment capacities. Despite some growth in recovery volumes during specific periods, the overall structure of waste management in the region remains unbalanced. The article argues that strengthening regional waste management policy is essential for reducing long-term environmental risks. Priority measures include the application of the waste hierarchy principle, differentiated approaches to various waste categories, infrastructure modernization, and the integration of circular economy principles. It is concluded that an integrated policy framework combining institutional reforms, investment mechanisms, and increased environmental awareness can transform waste management from a source of ecological pressure into a driver of sustainable regional development in the context of post-war recovery and European integration.

Keywords:

waste governance; territorial communities; circular economy; hazardous waste; landfill disposal; environmental security; post-war recovery

References

    
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