State and regional policy on industrial waste management: the EU experience for Ukraine

Abstract

Purpose. To identify the main trends caused by the divergence of the policy of Ukraine and the EU in the formation and accumulation of waste and threats to the environment. Methodology. Using the methods of content analysis, quantitative and qualitative comparison, EU policy on waste management is analyzed and logical generalization is used to establish the features of waste management financing for industries and regions. Findings. Regional irregularities of industrial waste accumulation, including hazardous waste, trends of their change are revealed. The reasons for regional peculiarities of waste management in the EU and Ukraine are established. It is established that the distribution of capital investments both in environmental protection in general and in waste management in particular does not always coincide with the leading regions of accumulation. It is established that limitation of financial instruments for waste management only by budgetary resources leads to a reduction in capital investment. A comparison of trends in environmental spending and waste management indicated a significant difference. Analysis of environmental investment by polluting industries, which are unevenly represented in different regions, revealed a significant difference between them. Originality. Regions that are the main polluters have been identified. The discrepancy between trends of capital investments in environmental protection and waste management was revealed. It is established that the list of leading regions in terms of capital investments in environmental protection does not correlate with the list of leading regions of waste accumulation. It is pointed out that uneven investment creates risks of increasing the rate of waste accumulation, in particular hazardous waste. Forecasting of indicators of waste management of the following periods is carried out. Practical value. There are risks of increasing the rate of waste accumulation, especially hazardous waste, both in Ukraine in general and in some regions, inequalities in some areas in the amount of capital investment into environmental protection, which will form an effective waste management policy. Identifying common features and differences in waste management in the EU and Ukraine will allow implementing effective environmental protection tools, reducing risks in industrial waste management.