A month from now, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine will deliberate a bill that will, hopefully, put an end to the usage of plastic garbage bags, emulating the positive experience of Italy, Japan, and France. If and when, plastic garbage bags will be replaced by paper and tissue ones, also by ones made of recyclable biomaterials.
Current statistics point to a dozen or so billion plastic garbage bags being dumped annually across Ukraine. Varying estimates read an average of 200-300 such bags per Ukrainian resident. All these plastic bags of garbage – tons of them – end up in landfills, at best. At worst, one can see them on both sides of a highway, even on city streets. No local business will sign a garbage collection and recycling contract, simply because there are expenditures and practically no revenues in sight.
Banning the usage of plastic bags seems the only solution to the problem. After this ban takes legal effect, Ukraine will have no stores, shopping malls selling such bags in two years. Ukraine’s Ecology and Natural Resources Minister Mykola ZLOCHEVSKY promises that six years from now no plastic bags will be found anywhere in Ukraine.
The current Cabinet will soon mark its second anniversary. In other words, you have been at the head of Minekolohii for the past two years. How would you assess your performance?
“Any self-assessment turns out to be most skeptical. We receive our grades from the President, Prime Minister, and, of course, the Ukrainian people.
“Our ministry has established very active contacts with the general public. Before our interview I received a lady who represented Four Paws. Let me tell you that the animal protection issue is one of my top priorities. I hope this problem will soon start being resolved, like that of waste disposal, considering that there are Cabinet bills relating to the recycling of used tires, lubricants, medical waste, and used batteries. Last but not least, there is the Minekolohii’s bill concerning used hardware, imposing a tax on the importers and manufacturers of this hardware.
“Over the past year our ministry has taken a big step forward by replacing the collection license with documents authorizing collection and recycling. A business licensed just to collect waste can dump it anywhere and get away with it, regardless of the damage to the environment. We’re focusing on collection-and-recycling licenses, so we can see the end result.”
UKRAINE TO IMPOSE BATTERY IMPORT TAX
Would you please enlarge on the Minekolohii’s plans concerning the recycling of used batteries? Recently this newspaper carried a feature on the subject. Apparently, used batteries pose a serious threat to Ukraine, along with its inadequate legislation and lack of public information. Is the Minekolohii going to levy a battery import tax?
“Yes, it is. Our experts are working out the sums to be paid by the importer, in view of subsequent collection and recycling; also, the attendant legal procedures. Minekolohii proposes to establish an organization, under its aegis, to supervise the collection of this tax, keeping track of every cent received from each used battery – or a hundred used batteries. This organization would then pay the recycling companies, in keeping with set procedures.
“Minekolohii has practiced this technique in regard to used tires. It’s working! What is a used tire? So much rubber, iron, tissue. There is a big difference between dumping and recycling it, for this is what makes a national economy effective. Several businessmen have submitted [recycling] proposals, with used tire collection facilities in the red.
“Without this importer and manufacturer tax, no one would be interested in building such waste-recycling facilities.
“Minekolohii doesn’t want to fleece the importer of all his revenues, simply because this would be an extra burden on the Ukrainian buyer’s shoulder. This tax will be within reasonable limits, but this money will help us collect and recycle used batteries. I might as well point out that the price of a battery, sold anywhere in the civilized world, includes the recycling cost. We had a hard time coordinating this issue with other ministries (with most smelling a rat where no rats could have existed in the first place). We referred to European experience and this helped.”
PLASTIC BAGS TO BE PROHIBITED BY THE VERKHOVNA RADA IN A MONTH
Garbage in plastic bags is another big waste disposal problem in Ukraine. How is your ministry planning to resolve this issue?
“I believe this is a serious waste disposal issue, considering that this waste is destroying Ukraine. There is too much of it for any government agencies or NGOs to cope with it. Minekolohii will shortly forward a bill to the Verkhovna Rada, proposing a gradual ban on the usage of plastic bags for domestic and other waste. Of course, there will be all those large garbage plastic bags. We don’t see them. We see lots of shopping bags scattered around our highways.
“Minekolohii wants all such plastic bags to be phased out over the next two years. A pertinent bill will be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada within a month. I believe that our parliament will pass a resolution banning their output and distribution in the next couple of years – four at the most, the way Europe did not so long ago.”
Who will pay for the prohibition of the manufacture and distribution of such plastic bags? The central budget? Businesses? Consumers?
“Payment isn’t a problem. There are paper-making companies. They will be happy to join this project.”
Really? How about the plastic-bag-making companies?
“Do you know any such big companies in Ukraine? There are none, just small workshops operating under the aegis of big shopping malls or otherwise. All these hypermarkets will have to start buying paper bags or setting up their own paper-bag-making workshops. This transition process will be painless because Minekolohii will allow every interested party enough time to figure out the situation and start making paper bags. I’m sure that, eight years from the date of the passing of this bill, Ukraine will be ecologically clean (paper bags dissolve in water).”
You mean there are no central budget waste disposal appropriations?
“Of course there are such appropriations, depending on the kind of waste. There is a large appropriation for the final recycling of used pesticides and herbicides. There is this year’s budget money for dealing with the [post-Soviet] hexachlorobenzene storage facility in Kalush.
“Minekolohii is doing its best, while being criticized. Once our specialists open canisters with this poison, there is no stopping the procedures, what with rains and other unpleasant surprises from the elements. Our specialists are in the end phase. What’s left of this waste will be recycled during this year. Moreover, the areas previously cleansed of hexachlorobenzene are now fertile soils. There are photos showing how all this started in the fall. This spring there will be pictures of soils with trees and grain plantations. Minekolohii is going about this issue in a planned manner, with each move being documented and made public knowledge. I have always invited media people to witness every withdrawal of chemicals from Ukraine, so there is little doubt about such chemicals remaining in Ukraine. I have kept all such procedures transparent.”
AT LEAST TWO ANIMAL SHELTERS IN UKRAINE BEFORE EURO-2012
How about stray dogs? There isn’t much time left before Euro-2012. Will you keep your promise?
“I will. I have been meeting with officials of various animal welfare organization. They’re helping me to solve this problem. Minekolohii has signed a cooperation memorandum with the Four Paws international animal welfare organization and they are sending mobile vet clinics to Kyiv, equipped to sterilize stray dogs.”
You mean there are no such clinics in Ukraine?
“No mobile clinics, and we need them to solve the problem before the Euro-2012 championships. Today’s sterilization techniques are quick and effective: a doggie is anesthetized, cut up, then sewn up.
“Ukraine’s public opinion boils down to animal shelters. Minekolohii has requested and received budget appropriations. What we need is a design/blueprints because Minekolohii isn’t responsible for such projects. Of course, there is the issue of land allocation. Minekolohii has made arrangements with the mayors of Chernihiv and Lviv. Both have allocated plots.
“I recently spoke with Mayor Dobkin of Kharkiv… he told me a plot had been allocated, along with local budget appropriations, even blueprints. All they wanted was some money from the central budget.
“There is an animal shelter, known as SOS, in Kyiv. They wanted a larger area and a renovation of the old premises. Minekolohii okayed the project, adding it wanted the renovation blueprints. Six months have elapsed. No blueprints. I’d promised the shelter manager that, once I get the blueprints, I’d stay with him at the Mayor’s Office for as long as it took to get the larger area project approved.
“I believe that we will build at least two modern animal shelters before Euro-2012, and that [other Ukrainian city] mayors will support our initiative.”
Your official website has a list of Ukraine’s most environment-unfriendly businesses. Do you have – or plan – a list of businesses your ministry would support?
“We have always supported businesses capable of contributing modern waste disposal and recycling technologies to Ukraine.”
