For decades, artificial flowers have remained an integral part of the tradition of honoring the deceased in Ukraine. However, they cannot be effectively recycled and harm the environment, which necessitates restrictions on their sale. A corresponding petition has been registered on the Rivne City Council’s online petition website.
This was reported by Suspilne Rivne.
Artificial memorial decorations essentially become an additional type of waste, unsuitable for recycling and toxic to ecosystems. All Souls’ Day serves as a major trigger for their accumulation, so the city is calling for restrictions on their sale at markets and near cemeteries, or for consideration of a complete ban with an appropriate transition period for sellers.
"Artificial flowers are mostly made from plastic and other materials that cannot be effectively recycled, quickly lose their appearance and turn into waste, create a significant burden on the waste removal system, and pollute the environment and soil," emphasized the author of the electronic petition, Pavlo Kyryliuk.
Experience of other communities
Suspilne reports that the practice of a complete ban on the use of artificial flowers at cemeteries has already taken place in several communities in Rivne region.
In the Myliatska rural community of Sarny district, ritual plastic products were banned at the end of March 2021. Village elders were tasked with monitoring compliance with these restrictions.
Already in the spring of 2024, a similar decision was made by the executive committee of Rokytne settlement council. Its head referred to environmental safety requirements and urged people to honor the deceased with live flowers.
Harm lasting hundreds of years
According to environmental experts, just from one thousand graves decorated with plastic ornaments, an average of about 5 t of waste is generated annually. This waste continues for years to poison both groundwater and soil with toxic chemicals – both at the cemetery and at landfills where it is later transported.
"The decomposition period ranges from 100 to 500 years. Currently, there are no environmentally friendly technologies for their recycling. If plastic is burned, a large amount of greenhouse gases and carcinogenic compounds are released into the air, which harm human health and the environment," noted ecologist Volodymyr Radzii.
EcoPolitic previously reported that due to the impact of the plastics industry, humanity loses millions of years of life.
