HANDLING OF PLASTIC WASTE IN THE CITY OF KHARKIV AND KHARKIV REGION

Abstract

The use of plastic in production began at the beginning of the 20th century. It is a cheap material, easy to manufacture, in the process of creation it acquires any form, resistant to acids and alkalis, has high water resistance, is not subject to corrosion and has many more advantages over other materials. A wide variety of products are made from plastic: from stationery, tableware, children's toys, clothes, bedding fillers, to furniture, pipes, building materials and even road surfaces, etc. At the same time, environmental problems arose due to the low rate of decomposition of plastic in the natural environment - from 20 years to 500 years, depending on the structure of the material. About 400 million tons of plastic are produced annually in the world. Improper handling of plastic waste leads to environmental pollution and negatively affects people, animals, and vegetation. Therefore, the analysis of the state in the field of plastic waste management in the city of Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region is relevant. As a result of the analysis of waste accumulation in the city of Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region, it was found that their volumes decreased by 1.8 times from 2010 to 2020. This is due to a decrease in production volumes, the closure of some enterprises, the consequences of the economic crisis of 2008-2009, and military actions in the east of Ukraine. The reduction of waste volumes is explained not only by the reduction of production volumes, but also by the economical use of material, raw materials and energy resources at the enterprises of the city and region. It was found that Kharkiv has at least seventy-five collection points for solid household waste as secondary raw materials located in all districts of the city. Enterprises that carry out collection, procurement of plastic waste as secondary raw materials, their disposal and processing were also identified. Some problems were noted and directions for further work in the field of plastic waste management were suggested. Keywords: plastic, plastic waste, accumulation of waste, collection of plastic waste, recycling and disposal of plastic waste.