Nabatov warned the deputies of punishment if there is no waste sorting in Mykolaiv: Including criminal liability

A similar waste sorting project is already operating in Zhytomyr, photo by Dmytro Honcharov

Ihor Nabatov, deputy director of the Mykolaiv Department of Housing and Communal Services, said that the city council is obliged to introduce waste sorting in the city, otherwise the city council representatives may be held liable, including criminal liability.

He said this during a meeting of deputies with a representative of the company that won the tender for waste sorting in Mykolaiv, which took place via video conference on 20 August, according to NikVesti.

Answering a question from MP Tetiana Dombrovska about whether there is any liability if waste sorting is not introduced in Mykolaiv, the official cited the provisions of the law «On Waste Management», Article 57, paragraph 1, of which provides that those responsible for violations in the field of waste management bear disciplinary, administrative, administrative-disciplinary, administrative-economic, civil and criminal liability in accordance with the law.

«Specifically, what actions can lead to this — there is a list of 12 points that define what is considered a violation of the law on waste management,» said Ihor Nabatov.

Ihor Nabatov is responsible for holding a competition for waste sorting in Mykolaiv, archive photo by NikVesti

In addition, he said that the obligation to build a sorting line in Mykolaiv is enshrined in a court decision, and failure to comply with this obligation entails criminal liability.

«I would like to remind everyone that we have a court decision on the claim filed by the prosecutor's office in the interests of the State Environmental Inspectorate, according to which the Mykolaiv City Council was obliged to take three actions: build a sorting line; develop a project for the reclamation of the existing landfill; develop a project and build a new landfill for the residents of Mykolaiv. This court decision came into force, unfortunately, we did not try to appeal it to the Supreme Court, but it would have been unsuccessful. Today, the Mykolaiv City Council and city council members have to comply with the court decision. Failure to comply with the court's decision is a criminal offence under the current Criminal Code of Ukraine, to put it in this context,» said Ihor Nabatov.

As a reminder, on Thursday, 21 August, the Mykolaiv City Council building was searched in connection with the sorting line construction project. On 28 August, at the session of the Mykolaiv City Council, the deputies will either approve or reject the tender results. Two alternative draft decisions have been submitted for consideration. In fact, these investigative actions may block the vote to approve the results of the tender. On the same day, 28 August, the deadline for approving the results of the tender expires. Thus, the investment tender for the construction of the sorting line will have to be held from scratch.

Earlier, in a commentary to NikVesti, Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych said that he supported the implementation of the project to build a sorting line in Mykolaiv, which the city has been working on for the past 5 years. However, it is up to the deputy corps to decide after a detailed study of the project.

Mykolaiv landfill

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Back in 2020, in a commentary to NikVesti, the mayor of Mykolaiv said that the city's existing landfill would last for another 10 years, i.e. until 2030.

It is located on the territory of Vesnianske village council in Mykolaiv district. The landfill was put into operation in 1972 with a 50-year lifespan, i.e. until 2022. It is designed to dispose of 50 million cubic metres of waste.

The report on the strategic environmental assessment of the draft master plan for Mykolaiv, published in 2018, stated that the city's landfill capacity was 98% exhausted. Therefore, they added, it is imperative to build new modern waste sorting and recycling facilities, introduce separate waste collection, and increase the use of recycled materials.

On 20 May 2025, Mykolaiv selected a company to build a sorting line for solid waste processing. The winner of the tender was «Waste To Energy Niko».

In September 2024, the procedure for the operation of the household waste sorting line and the terms of the tender were agreed upon. It was reported that the sorting line will be able to process up to 70% of waste, and the remaining 30% will be buried. The project stipulates that the company that wins the tender will transfer at least 10% of its profits to the maintenance of the landfill.

The terms of the agreement include a 25-year period of cooperation. There were warnings in the city council that this was too long and could limit the community's flexibility. At the initiative of the chairman of the planning and budgetary commission of the city council, Fedir Panchenko, an alternative draft decision has already been developed — to refuse the agreement with «Waste To Energy Niko» for waste sorting. Earlier, in a commentary to NikVesti, «Waste To Energy Niko», which won the investment competition held by the city council, assured that such a system would not only reduce the load on the city's landfill, but would also allow the city to save money, create new jobs and gain access to international «green» financing.