Ukrainian territorial communities seeking to implement a standardised system for separate waste collection can now download ready-made symbols and signs for labelling bins free of charge from the website of the Swedish-Ukrainian WM4U programme.
Following the adoption of amendments to the Methodology for the Separate Collection of Household Waste, territorial communities have been able to use a standardised system of symbols, which has been in use for many years in Sweden and other European countries and is known as the Nordic labelling system.
To make its implementation as straightforward as possible, WM4U has published a complete set of labels in the public domain. They can be downloaded, printed at any print shop and used to label bins. Separately, the programme will arrange for sets of stickers to be printed for local authorities participating in the WM4U programme’s pilot clusters.
‘To make things easier for local authorities and speed up the transition to a standardised system of symbols and signs, we have uploaded all the stickers to our website. This means that any community or business can, in line with their needs, download the stickers in just a few clicks, print them out, stick them on, and thereby collect household waste more effectively for separate collection and increase recycling rates,” explains Oleksandr Ignatenko, the WM4U Programme’s national waste management expert.
Previously, Ukrainian communities used different approaches to labelling bins, which made separate collection more difficult.
Following amendments to the Methodology, universal symbols may now be used instead of the mandatory ‘colour-coded’ bin system. This will allow territorial communities to avoid purchasing bins of different colours and instead use standard bins, labelling them with stickers. In effect, the costs are limited to the printing of these stickers.
The Nordic labelling system comprises around 100 symbols for different types of waste. It is already in use in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Lithuania, and helps to make separate waste collection clearer for the public.
The introduction of this system is one of the steps towards harmonising Ukraine’s waste management system with European standards. It is expected that its implementation will facilitate separate waste collection, enable territorial communities to use resources more efficiently and promote the development of recycling.
The set of symbols is available for free download on the WM4U website.
Amendments to the Methodology are already available on the website of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
“Strengthening Municipal Waste Management in Ukraine (2024–2027)” (WM4U) is a Swedish-Ukrainian program aimed at systemic changes in the field of municipal waste management in Ukraine. The program is funded by the Swedish government through Sida and implemented by Avfall Sverige and SALAR International.