The development of industry and the widespread use of polymer products in everyday life lead to a significant increase in the volume of waste, which requires effective disposal. A significant part of this waste accumulates, which leads to burning of vacant territories, limiting opportunities for construction and infrastructural development. Polymers that are resistant to corrosion and decay take thousands of years to decompose.
In modern Ukraine, only a small part of plastic waste is recycled, and this share is only 10-15% of the total amount. The main sources of secondary polymers are industrial and household waste. Industrial waste from high-tonnage polymer production is the cleanest and most recyclable, and up to 80% of it is reused. However, most of them are used at the site of formation.
The main part of the market of secondary polymer raw materials is formed by solid household waste (MSW). In 2020 alone, more than 54 million cubic meters of household waste was generated in Ukraine, which occupies large areas. The largest amount of waste is generated by the residential sector (about 60% by mass), which complicates their collection and sorting. The commercial sector generates about 34% of industrial solid waste, of which 24% is packaging waste.
The most common types of plastic waste are various packaging, films and PET containers. Ukraine lags behind developed countries in sorting and recycling plastic waste, in particular PET bottles. However, positive development is taking place, in particular, the share of manual collection and sorting is increasing, as well as the processing of industrial waste is developing.
A significant contribution to the processing of PET was made by Ukrainian companies specializing in the production of granules, fibers and non-woven materials. The most famous processors are located near large cities. Currently, Ukrainian companies are actively developing the polymer recycling market, contributing to the economy of waste processing enterprises.
