Ukrainian communities eager to implement a standardised system for the separate collection of waste 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, communities have been given the opportunity to use a standardised system of symbols and signs, 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 set of symbols in the public domain. These can be downloaded, printed at any print shop, and used to label bins. The programme will also arrange for sets of stickers to be printed for communities that are part of the pilot clusters of the WM4U programme.

‘To help communities 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 every community or business can, depending on 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 Ihnatenko, National Waste Management Expert of the WM4U Programme.

Previously, Ukrainian communities used different approaches to labelling bins, which made separate collection more difficult. Following changes to the Methodology, universal symbols can now be used instead of the mandatory colour-coded bin system. This will allow communities to avoid purchasing bins in different colours and instead use standard ones, labelling them with stickers. In practice, the costs are reduced to simply printing these stickers.

The Nordic labelling system comprises roughly 100 symbols for different types of waste. It is already used in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, and Lithuania, and helps make separate collection more understandable for the public.

The introduction of the system is one of the steps to harmonise the Ukrainian waste management system with European standards. It is expected that its implementation will facilitate the separate collection of waste, enable communities to use resources more efficiently, and promote the development of recycling.

The set of symbols and signs is available for free download on the WM4U website.

Amendments to the Methodology are now available on the website of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

Strengthening of Municipal Waste Management in Ukraine Programme (2024–2027) (WM4U) is a Swedish-Ukrainian programme aimed to bring about systemic changes in municipal waste management in Ukraine. The programme is funded by the Swedish Government through Sida and implemented by Avfall Sverige and SALAR International.