UST together with Ukrainian and international partners, is developing approaches for the recycling and reuse of debris and waste resulting from destruction, as part of the post-war recovery efforts.
Can debris from destroyed buildings be used for reconstruction?
Together with Ukrainian and international partners, we are looking for a practical answer to this question.
Last week, as part of a collaboration between Sintef (a Norwegian research institute), the company NOCON, and the Ukraine Support Team (UST), we conducted a series of meetings and site visits to better understand how debris and demolition waste in Ukraine can be efficiently recycled and reused in construction. Our focus is not only on removal, but also on reusing secondary materials such as concrete, recycled aggregates, and other structural solutions.
We engaged with relevant ministries and other stakeholders to discuss:
- What legal and economic conditions are needed to launch this market;
- How similar practices are implemented in other countries;
- What must change in Ukraine to ensure that secondary materials genuinely become part of the recovery process.
We thank the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine for their willingness to develop an economically viable model that will enable businesses to operate in the field of recycling.
We also thank the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine for supporting the idea of adapting construction standards to European norms regarding the use of secondary materials.
We also visited several sites where recycling is already taking place. Together with our Norwegian colleagues and other partners, we visited two operational recycling facilities:
- A recycling site in the Borodianka community, managed by a municipal enterprise of Kyiv Oblast. The equipment provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) impressed us with its capacity. With the right technological approach, it can ensure high-quality secondary raw materials. We express our sincere thanks to our Japanese partners at JICA, the Kyiv Regional State Administration, and the entire team that helped organize the visit!
- A recycling site in the city of Bucha, where just a year ago the temporary waste storage area was literally covered with debris brought in from across the community. Today, it is a clean and organized site, with recycling operations running at a high level. This has become possible thanks to the support of UNDP Ukraine.
We sincerely thank our colleagues at UNDP for their contribution to recovery efforts and support for the community!
We also visited sites of destruction in Chernihiv, where dismantling and recycling are still urgently needed. We are convinced that through joint efforts, these processes can be accelerated — while complying with environmental and construction standards.
Our colleagues from SINTEF highly appreciated the quality of the equipment already available in Ukraine. They see potential not only for temporary solutions (such as road sub-base) but also for producing full-fledged construction materials.
Who are we, and why are we doing this?
The Ukraine Support Team (UST) is a coalition of experts helping communities and the country recover effectively. We bring together stakeholders — local authorities, academia, businesses, international partners, and government — to develop systemic solutions.
We work at the intersection of:
- Waste management
- Sustainable energy transition
- Community development planning
If you’re interested in making Ukraine’s recovery smart, modern, and sustainable — follow our page. More case studies, data, and solutions are coming soon.
