Ukraine to Use 450,000 Lbs of Construction Waste For Reconstruction Purposes
Eco-friendly building initiatives have become essential due to the construction industry's significant impact on environmental pollution. Thus, Ukraine receives support from various international organizations to implement its sustainable demolition waste management initiative that will help increase recycled construction debris.
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Ukraine's Sustainable Demolition Waste Management Project
International partners, such as the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the World Bank, are assisting Ukraine to facilitate the launch of environmentally responsible waste management practices for demolition waste.
As mentioned, several steps are involved in processing demolition waste, such as sorting, processing, manufacturing, and transportation. Notable financial investments are required for each of these processes. As a result, the government should reportedly establish regulations mandating the use of a certain percentage of secondary raw materials in reconstruction projects and developing suitable economic models and target indicators for demolition debris processing.
Natalia Kozlovska, the Deputy Minister of Development of Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure, stated that they are fully aware that the management and processing of such massive amounts will require substantial financial, human, and technological resources. Currently, there is no established practice in Ukraine for the deep processing of building waste, and the percentage of recycled waste is only 6% of the entire amount. On the other hand, these waste materials are being considered as a potential future resource for the construction industry in the context of the extensive rebuilding planned for the country.
Thus, with the help of the JICA Ukraine Office and the Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure, an experimental initiative has been initiated to establish temporary storage and processing lines for construction debris in the Kyiv region. During this project, a strategy for the management of trash from demolition will be established, which will consider many aspects of the production of products using recycled materials.
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Recycled Construction Waste in Ukraine
Local officials reported about 450,000 tonnes of construction trash from Russia will be damaged nationwide by 2023. On Friday, December 15, the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) analytical team published a revised assessment of war-related destruction of Ukrainian residential and non-residential real estate and infrastructure. Regarding the damage to housing, the areas of Donetsk, Kyiv, Luhansk, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv are among the five more severely hit regions. There has been a tremendous amount of financial loss. In the Kyiv region alone, the amount of money lost due to the demolition and damage of 22,800 residential buildings amounts to $8.2 billion.
Fortunately, Neo-Eco Ukraine, founded by the French mother firm Neo-Eco and supported by the French government, brought new building materials. As stated, the French Neo-Eco company is an engineering firm that specializes in repairing damaged structures in a manner that is favorable to the environment and has been in operation for more than 17 years. Neo-Eco Ukraine used circular economy techniques to rebuild a military facility in Hostomel as an initial project.
Moreover, all processes followed closed-cycle economy principles, from object analysis to material acquisition. The company plans on building its first residence utilizing recycled construction debris by the end of the year.
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