Draft Programme of the ReThink Waste 2026 Forum

08:30–09:30

Registration & Coffee

09:00

Nationwide Minute of Silence

09:30–09:35

Minute of Silence & National Anthem of Ukraine

09:35–10:00

Welcome RemarksWelcome address by Oleksandr Yehorov, Director of Lviv Municipal Enterprise “Zelene Misto”, and Andrii Sadovyi, Mayor / Deputy Mayor of Lviv.

09:50–10:00

Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Unbroken University
The memorandum will establish the Municipal Technologies Centre.

10:00–11:00

Panel 1. Does the Waste Management Planning System Work?State policy in waste management. Economies of scale in the waste sector.
Key questions- How does the waste management planning system work in Ukraine?- Local Waste Management Plans (LWMPs): what have the first results of 2025–2026 shown, and where are the weaknesses of national and regional plans?- Is there a gap between strategic planning and the actual capacities of communities?- A cluster-based approach to waste management: can communities pool their resources? What role can inter-municipal cooperation play? Who should coordinate the system — the national government, regions, or associations of communities?- How can international support be integrated into the practical implementation of Local Waste Management Plans?
Panel Moderator:10:00–10:05 — Oksana Mylyanyk. “From Individual Solutions to a System: What Is Needed to Transition to a Circular Economy.” Expert on Ukraine Facility and circular economy issues, Recovery and Reform Support Team at the Ministry of Economy.
Confirmed speakers and topics10:05–10:15 — Diana Novikova, Head of the Household Waste Management and Municipal Services Division, Department of Life Support Systems, Ministry for Communities and Territories Development.Legislative changes in household waste management as the foundation for waste management planning in communities.10:15–10:20 — Maryna Sadkina.Approaches to developing cluster concepts in household waste management.10:20–10:25 — Oleksandr Ihnatenko.Challenges in developing and implementing regional and local waste management plans.10:25–10:30 — Uliana Boyarchuk, Advocacy Manager, Ukrainian Alliance for Zero Waste.Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), EU requirements, and Ukraine’s path over the next 10–20–30 years.10:30–11:00 — Discussion & Q&A

11:00–12:00

Panel 2. Construction of Waste Processing Plants and Sorting Facilities in Ukraine
Public and private-sector projects.
Key topics
- Technologies already operating in Europe;
- International companies’ experience in constructing and launching waste processing plants;
- How waste processing works in small communities in Ukraine.
Panel Moderator: Oleksandr Yehorov
Confirmed speakers and topics
11:00–11:15 — Janusz Krzeszewski, Chairman of the Board, TERRALINE, Poland.
Modern waste processing plant technologies in Europe.
11:15–11:20 — Tomasz Zujkiewicz, Chief Technologist, TERRALINE.
11:15–11:20 — Yevhenii Barakh.
Waste processing plant in Zhytomyr, production of SRF fuel and technical soil.
11:30–11:35 — Ivanna Nazarenko, Head of the Development Projects, Communications and International Cooperation Department, Municipal Enterprise “MKPV”, Kharkiv City Council.
11:35–11:40 — Serhii Stepanchuk, Co-founder, Kramar Eco LLC.
Practical experience in constructing and commissioning a waste sorting facility, operational management and tariff policy. The economic feasibility of investment.
11:40–11:50 — Klaudijus Žilinskas, Technical Director, Kaunas Waste-to-Energy Plant. Online.

12:00–12:30

Coffee Break

12:30–13:30 Separate Hall

Panel Discussion. Construction and Demolition Waste Management: Solutions for Ukraine’s Recovery
 The second step towards improving construction and demolition waste management.
Expert discussion under the Chatham House Rule.
Objective of the panel
To discuss the results of the D2R Green Recovery Ukraine project and select, from seven options proposed by experts, the most appropriate approaches for further improving construction and demolition waste management.
Key questions
- Is construction and demolition waste a justified separate waste category, or is it simply a consequence of limited time and resources for waste management during emergencies?
- Should Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1073 (2022) be abolished as ineffective or further improved?
- Where should funding for construction and demolition waste management come from, and how should it be incorporated into budgets?
- What role should business play in construction and demolition waste management? Are companies ready to take on this responsibility?
The panel will also announce an educational programme for local authorities and other stakeholders focused on improving construction and demolition waste management skills through the lens of the circular economy.
Panel Moderator: Sofia Shutiak, Attorney, Deputy Chair of the Committee on Agricultural, Land and Environmental Law of the National Bar Association of Ukraine, Legal Analyst at the Institute of the City.
Confirmed speakers and topics
Hanna Bashta, Deputy Director of the Department of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Lviv Regional State Administration.
Practical challenges in managing construction and demolition waste. How to reconcile the interests of communities, businesses and the state.
Hryhorii Bazenko, Deputy Director of the Department for Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of the Kherson Regional State Administration, Head of the Permitting Division.
Kherson Region’s experience in managing construction and demolition waste. Practices and lessons learned. Is it time to improve Resolution No. 1073 again?
Olena Vitrak, Head of Waste Management Projects, Tsentr LTD.
How to turn waste management plans into effective management and implementation tools.
Ivanna Nazarenko, Head of the Development Projects, Communications and International Cooperation Department, Municipal Enterprise “MKPV”, Kharkiv City Council.
Experience of Kharkiv. Why crushers are a solution for construction and demolition waste management.
Mykhailo Rom, Head of Digital Transformation, Volochysk City Council.
Community experience: from the local level to the national scale.
Lidiia Shymon, Head of Waste Management Projects, Neo-Eco Ukraine, representative of the LIFE D2R consortium coordinator.
The project White Paper. 15 partners and 15 months of work — what comes next?
Discussion — all participants
The discussion will involve invited representatives of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, healthcare authorities and institutions in relation to public health safety, law enforcement and environmental protection authorities regarding the correct assessment of damage and losses, as well as financial experts on the proper accounting treatment of key components of construction and demolition waste prior to their sale.
Resolution
White Paper

12:30–13:30

Panel 3. Energy as a Resource: RDF, Alternative Fuels and Community Energy Resilience
Can waste help communities get through the heating season?
Ukraine is developing a new approach to waste — from a disposal problem to a resource for the economy and energy sector. RDF and other types of prepared alternative fuels can become part of this transformation.
The panel will offer an open and practical discussion on what is needed to move “from waste to resource, and from resource to energy.”
Key questions
- RDF: waste or energy resource? Is Ukraine ready to use waste as an alternative fuel? Which types of waste are suitable for conversion into RDF?
- Where is the line between recycling and energy recovery?
- Can RDF genuinely strengthen the energy independence of communities?
- What needs to change in infrastructure, legislation and the economic model?
- How can environmental safety be ensured when using alternative fuels?
- Which solutions can be implemented before the next heating season?
Confirmed speakers
Panel Moderator: Nazarii Berbeka, Chair of the Sustainability and Critical Infrastructure Commission of the Lviv City Council.
Anna Dmytriv, Head of the Environmental Protection Department, Ivano-Frankivskcement PJSC.
Oleksandr Odynets, Director, Lviv Municipal Enterprise “Lvivteploenergo”.
Maksym Hlushanytsia, Head of the Ukrainian Association of Waste Management Companies.
Serhii Burdeinyi, Standard Re-Oil Company LLC.
Petro Hoshovskyi.
Landfill: A Second Life. Energy Resilience.

13:30–14:30 Separate Hall

Panel Discussion. Digitalisation and Cybersecurity in Waste Management
Moderator: Iryna Myronova, Executive Director, NGO “Zero Waste Lviv”.
Participants
Oleksii Yankevych, representative of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, Lviv Region.
Hostile software: “use it, but cannot replace it” — where and how should the punctuation marks be placed?
Andrii Revutskyi, Sales Director, Innoware.
An informed approach to the digital transformation of companies operating in waste management.
Nataliia Katerynets, Chief Operating Officer, Self-ERP; Guest Lecturer at Ukrainian Catholic University.
Experience in implementing secure and effective ERP solutions and replacing hostile software in the municipal and services sectors.
Petro Ivanko, Director, SoftServe — Municipal Technologies.
What challenges may waste management companies face when developing and implementing digital solutions?
Yuliia Hlushko, Business Analysis and Product Solutions Expert working in digital transformation and AI.
Do Not Automate Chaos: Why Business Processes Should Be Documented Before Digitalisation.

13:30–14:30

Panel 4. Landfills and Illegal Dumpsites: From Crisis to Systemic Management
Key questions
- What is the real scale of the problem? Do the national and local authorities have a complete and up-to-date inventory of landfills and illegal dumpsites?
- Landfill remediation: who should finance it — the state, communities or donors? Which financing models can actually work in Ukraine?
- New landfills — a necessity or a political risk? Where is the line between “we cannot build” and “there is nowhere to take the waste”?
- The role of national and local authorities: who should drive change and be accountable for results?
Confirmed speakers and topics
13:30–13:40 — Panel Moderator: Oleh Volodymyrovych Bondarenko, Member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy.
13:40–13:50 — Ivan Pidopyhora, Deputy Director of Khmelnytskyi Municipal Enterprise “Spetskomuntrans”, Head of the “Smart Environment. Khmelnytskyi” Office.
13:50–14:00 — Andrii Hrushchynskyi, Chairman of the Board, Kyivspetstrans PJSC.
14:00–14:10 — Abdula Bash, Kuantum Yenilenebilir Enerji Üretim Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş.
14:10–14:20 — Andrik Mols, Technical Manager, WM4U.
Operational landfill management and potential investments. Online.
14:20–14:30 — Panel Summary

14:30–15:30

Lunch

15:30–16:30

R&D Centre, Separate Hall

16:30–17:30
Separate Hall

Panel 5. International Financing in the Waste Sector
From grants to implemented projects. Which financing models work in Ukraine?
Key questions
- What do communities need to obtain funding?
- Project readiness, tariffs, guarantees, political will.
- Why are some projects not implemented? Where are the bottlenecks — management, legislation or co-financing?
- How can successful cases be scaled up? Can solutions be replicated between cities?
Panel Moderator: Sofia Sydorenko, Chair of the Ukrainian Alliance for Zero Waste.
Confirmed speakers and topics
Mariia Kotvitska, Founder of AGV Green Vision, a new strategic division of AGV focused on the circular economy, efficient resource management and energy resilience.
Olha Hlazunova, WM4U.
Material support for communities within the programme.
Oleksandr Ihnatenko.
Legislative requirements for receiving and using humanitarian aid in the household waste management sector.
Mariana Kobelia-Zvir.
Where to Find Funding for Waste Management Projects: Grants, Development Funds and Other International Financing Instruments.
Taras Boichuk, Managing Partner, SPILNO Consulting Company.
Olha Chaika, Chair of the Waste Management Association.

16:30–17:30  Separate Hall

Hazardous Waste: Solutions That Already Work and Need to Be Implemented
Key questions
- What ends up in household waste containers — batteries, mercury thermometers, fluorescent lamps, expired medicines and household chemicals?
- Which mobile and stationary collection points have already demonstrated their effectiveness in Ukrainian cities?
- Why is there still no systematic practice of collecting medicines from households in Ukraine?
- Legislative barriers: what prevents hazardous waste from being sent for proper treatment?
- Can licensed companies operating in Ukraine ensure environmentally safe treatment rather than simply accumulation?
Panel Moderator:
Halyna Mykitchak, Head of the Department of Ecology, Lviv City Council.
Confirmed speakers and topics
Yevheniia Smoliienko, Legal Counsel, “Smart Environment. Khmelnytskyi” Office, Khmelnytskyi Municipal Enterprise “Spetskomuntrans”.
How to build an effective system for the separate collection of hazardous waste as part of municipal waste.
Oleh Yadyshchyn, Head of the Hazardous Waste Management Unit, SE “Bodnarivka”.
Municipal infrastructure: from the collection of mercury-containing waste to licensed treatment within the community.
Maksym Hlushanytsia, Chairman of the Board, Ukrainian Association of Waste Management Companies.
Medical waste.
Kyrylo Kosourov, Chairman of the Board, Association of Hazardous Waste Management Companies.
Auditing licensed operators: how to verify that a company actually treats hazardous waste.

16:30–17:30

Panel 6. Waste as a Resource: From Sorting to a Circular Economy
Key questions
- What actually works in Ukraine: sorting, composting, local waste - processing stations?
- Which solutions are the most affordable and effective for communities?
- Where is the economic value? Which waste streams already generate revenue?
- How can a stable secondary raw materials market be created?
- What prevents scaling: regulation, tariffs, lack of feedstock or lack of public awareness?
- How can residents be motivated to participate as part of an economic model, rather than simply as an environmental initiative?
- Construction and demolition waste: a problem or a resource for reconstruction?
Confirmed speakers and topics
16:30–16:35 — Moderator: Alona Shulima, PhD, Head of NGO “Pragma”, Project Manager in Waste Management.
16:35–16:50 — Weine Wiqvist.
Ways to Improve Tariff Policy in Ukraine. Online.
16:50–16:55 — Hanna Prokaieva, Head of “Zero Waste Kharkiv”, Project Manager, SS Yard.
16:55–17:00 — Natalia Sanotska, Head of the “Emmaus-Oselya” Community.
Textile Reuse in Numbers.
17:00–17:10 — Nataliia Yakubyk, Director, AVE UZHHOROD LLC.
“Eco-Island — Innovations in Waste Management.”
17:10–17:30 — Discussion

17:30–18:00

Coffee & Closing Remarks