A plastic baling machine has been operating in the Valky community of Kharkiv region for just one month. In such a short period, the volume of waste removed from the community has already decreased by 10%.
This was reported by “Suspilne”.
The special equipment was purchased thanks to grant funds from the International Organization for Migration. The baler was launched in early March 2026. The community has seen firsthand that it is capable of processing about three tons of plastic waste per month.
“ We won a grant project. We had a choice, we discussed it for a long time, but decided to opt for the baler. Because above all, it's about environmental safety for the whole community, and our entire community is moving towards waste sorting. This is the first step in that direction,” said Serhii Diachenko, director of the local municipal enterprise ‘Blagoustrii’.”
Collection features
To make sorting waste easier for residents, special containers for plastic waste have been installed in the city and nearby villages.
Source: suspilne.media
Even children in Valky are being taught to sort waste. Serhii Diachenko noted that even kindergarten children came to see how the baler works. In general, he says, people have started to treat the separate collection of waste more responsibly and consciously.
After collection, the caps are removed from the plastic, and the waste undergoes further preparation. All pressed waste is then sent for recycling.
“This is a manually loaded baler, meaning we load the raw material we receive ourselves. All those mesh bins are in place to collect the materials. We work manually, as this method is convenient for plastic,” explained Viacheslav Solianyk, an employee of ‘Blagoustrii’.”
Thanks to the baler, the community has already managed to reduce waste volume by 10%. This has allowed them to save 30,000 UAH on waste transportation in just one month.
Source: suspilne.media
Looking forward, the Valky community plans to continue reducing the volume of waste. To achieve this, they intend to install a sorting station.
EcoPolitic recently reported how, thanks to waste sorting, a condominium association in Vinnytsia earns additional funds for the improvement of yard infrastructure.
