Mushchynska Natalia, PhD in Economics, Associate Professor, Associate Professor of Project Management in Municipal Economy and Construction Department, O. M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy, Kharkiv, Ukraine

ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6294-9180
e-mail: muschinska@gmail.com

Khandogina Olga, Senior Lecturer of Environmental Engineering and Management Department, O. M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy, Kharkiv, Ukraine

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-1100-5267
e-mail: ol.khandogina@gmail.com

Decoupling Analysis for the Assessment of Household Solid Waste Management System in the Regions of Ukraine

Abstract. Introduction. Studying the relationship between the economic regional development and the environmental burden is an important aspect of ensuring the sustainable development of the country. Increasing income and living standards leads to an increase in waste generation. Implementation of innovative technologies in the field of waste management provides reducing of waste disposed at landfills and, as a result, decreasing environmental pressure.

Purpose. The purpose of this article is to study the decoupling effect between the level of waste landfilling and economic indicators in the regions of Ukraine.

Results. The experience of using decoupling index for estimation of environmental pressure in comparing with changes in economic or social indicators was analyzed. The decoupling analysis for 24 regions and the whole country was conducted by comparing decoupling between the rate of change of final household consumption and the amount of household waste disposal over the last five years.

Conclusions. Negative decoupling between the final households consumption expenditures and the amount of waste disposed at landfills and dumps takes place throughout Ukraine. This aspect indicates a decrease in economic indicators against the background of a slight reduction or increase in the amount of landfilled waste. Regions with different degrees of decoupling (absolute, relative and reverse) were found. This situation demonstrates the following peculiarities on national and regional levels: inadequacy of the existing household waste management system, a considerable level of resource intensity of economic system, remoteness from modern resource-saving technologies and advanced methods of waste management. Achieving the effect of absolute decoupling is substantiated to be an important issue for sustainable economic regional development.

Keywords: decoupling; municipal waste; sustainable regional development; environmental pressure.

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