The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine has developed a draft resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers that provides for the extension of the validity of submitted declarations on waste treatment operations, including hazardous waste, until June 15, 2025.
A draft of this document, along with an explanatory note and a comparative table, has been published on the ministry's website.
Officials said that the draft Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 1137 “On Amendments to Clause 2 of the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of October 31, 2023 will allow companies engaged in waste treatment operations to properly prepare documents attached to the application for a permit to carry out waste treatment operations, as well as to conclude business contracts for the provision of waste treatment services for the first half of 2025.
Why the extension was necessary
The previous Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1262, which extended the validity of waste treatment declarations until April 9, 2025, did not apply to hazardous waste. Therefore, according to PAEW, after October 9, 34 licensees lost their hazardous waste treatment licenses.
Market participants also could not export this waste for treatment abroad, as the application for written consent (notification) for cross-border transportation of waste must be accompanied by a copy of the permit for waste management operations.
In addition, companies are currently unable to conclude business contracts for the provision of waste management services for the first half of 2025, including those involved in cross-border waste transportation.
“This has led to the accumulation of hazardous waste in temporary storage facilities and a negative impact on the environment during the period of martial law in Ukraine,” officials say in an explanatory note to the draft resolution.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection said that they have received requests from companies, including licensees, to extend the validity of their hazardous waste management declarations.
Ministry officials analyzed the situation in Ukraine with the processing of accumulated waste and concluded that the existing waste treatment facilities in our country are insufficient.
EcoPolitics wrote in early October that after October 9, the hazardous waste management sector in Ukraine would be paralyzed. PAEW experts warned about this.
At the end of November, we also reported that the Ministry of Ecology has not been issuing licenses for hazardous waste management for 3 months.
