Councillors have approved the procedure for holding a new tender for waste sorting in Mykolaiv

Solid waste landfill near Mykolaiv. Archive photo NikVesti

Mykolaiv City Council voted 33 in favour and approved the updated operating procedures for the household waste sorting facility. The issue sparked debate among councillors, who argued that the cost of waste sorting would fall on the shoulders of Mykolaiv residents. They also proposed that the sorting be carried out by a municipal enterprise rather than being outsourced to a private company.

This was discussed today, 14 May, at a session of the Mykolaiv City Council, NikVesti reports.

Ihor Nabatov, First Deputy Director of the Housing and Utilities Department, said that the updated procedure had been approved by the Antimonopoly Committee. Two new criteria have been added for the winning bidder: the company’s financial capacity and the availability of technical staff. Furthermore, it was specified that the contract cannot be concluded for more than 15 years. However, if there are no complaints against the company, the term may be extended for a further 10 years. Additionally, city council members may now be included in the tender committee.

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Ihor Nabatov also explained that there are legal requirements regarding the introduction of waste sorting, as well as a court ruling.

«We have a court ruling under which the Mykolaiv City Council was obliged to take three main actions: the issue of constructing a waste sorting line, developing a landfill reclamation project, and the start of the design and construction of a new solid waste landfill. The claimant was the Public Prosecutor’s Office acting on behalf of the State Environmental Inspectorate,» said Ihor Nabatov.

According to him, the issue of waste reclamation is in its final stages ahead of further expert review of the project, and a new landfill cannot be built as there is no land plot available.

Igor Nabatov, First Deputy Director of the Department of Housing and Communal Services. Screenshot from the session broadcast.

However, the councillors had questions. Councillor Fedir Panchenko stated that the draft decision had not corrected the error that had been present from the outset. According to him, the city will constantly be subsidising a private company that will sort the waste.

«The draft decision has not corrected a fundamental error that was introduced right at the start, namely that our municipal enterprise, and through it effectively the entire community, is thus made a compulsory donor to a private enterprise. This could subsequently lead to a tariff increase and the need to subsidise this enterprise. And all these cosmetic changes that have been made do not correct this mistake,» added the councillor.

After this, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych began asking Fedir Panchenko questions, which the councillor described as an interrogation. The mayor eventually cited the examples of the water utility, electric transport and public transport, which the city subsidises to provide free water and travel for those entitled to concessions.

«The same applies to waste sorting. In other words, today, in order to dispose of waste that may be biodegradable, we need to separate the non-biodegradable waste from our household waste. And someone has to do this. At present, there is no technology that can do this at the waste collection stage. People need to sort it. We can see that we currently lack the capacity to do so. Secondly, we have realised that if we do not start sorting the waste that needs to be landfilled, our landfill site will cease to function in the near future,» said Oleksandr Sienkevych.

According to him, they have received no response from the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration or the local authorities near the city regarding the possibility of transferring land for an additional landfill site. Therefore, they decided to hold a tender for waste sorting.

«Of course, the costs of sorting, as well as water treatment and fuel for transporting people, will be included in the tariff, and naturally, this will lead to a tariff increase. We have discussed this,» admitted the mayor.

Oleksandr Sienkevych also said that a French company had expressed interest in participating in the waste sorting tender in Mykolaiv.

«We had guests from France from the organisation «Narbonne-Ukraine», including a representative from «Veolia», an international company that deals, among other things, with water treatment and solid waste management. They have also expressed an interest in participating in this tender and will consider the possibility of taking part once it is announced. In order for us to restart this process, we need to vote on this draft resolution,» said Oleksandr Sienkevych.

Mayor of Mykolaiv Oleksandr Sienkevych and City Council Secretary Dmytro Falko. Screenshot from the session broadcast

Councillor Serhii Kantor asked whether the issue of having the municipal utility company handle waste sorting had been considered: it could also be subsidised from the budget. In response, the mayor said that the city had no money for a sorting line.

«The answer is obvious: there will be no money today or in the near future to invest in the creation of such facilities. And it seems to me that in the near future we will not even be able to raise, say, 2 million dollars to build this line for the enterprise. We have a total of 300 million in capital expenditure and public investment — all of it is earmarked for completion of projects, and most of it for co-financing with the state programme for the construction of shelters and canteens. Of course, the tariff will rise. There is nothing extraordinary or secret about this. And it will also cover the sorting requirement. But this is a legal requirement,» said the mayor.

Councillor Serhii Kantor noted that this would be at the expense of the townspeople.

«Serhii, do you think aliens will come here to sort our rubbish?» replied the mayor.

He reiterated that even if the waste is sorted by a municipal enterprise, people will still need to be paid and electricity costs covered.

«Whoever builds the sorting line, the cost will effectively fall on the shoulders of those who generate solid household waste,» added the mayor.

Ihor Nabatov said that while a municipal waste sorting line is a possibility, there is no land available for this or for a new landfill site in Mykolaiv or beyond its boundaries.

«That is why we are saying that we are inviting private entrepreneurs to get involved, provided they have a plot of land or have agreed, as part of a preliminary agreement, that a lease or sublease contract will be drawn up,» said the deputy director of the Housing and Utilities Department.

However, Fedir Panchenko believed that once the procedure had been approved, the terms of the tender could not be changed.

«Today we are approving the terms of a contract which no tender committee will be able to change afterwards… We are establishing the principle that we are purchasing a service from a private enterprise at a rate which cannot yet be determined. That is why we are now approving the terms of a contract for which there is no price. We are establishing the principle that it is not that we are buying a resource — waste — but that we will be constantly obliged to hand it over and pay for the volume handed over, regardless of the amount of revenue received or the tariffs paid by consumers. In effect, the municipal enterprise will turn into a free waste collector for someone,» said Fedir Panchenko.

Councillor Serhii Kantor believed that a company should be set up to make money from waste sorting.

In the end, 33 councillors voted in favour of approving the operating procedures for the waste sorting complex, 1 voted against and 3 abstained.

The situation regarding the construction of a waste sorting line in Mykolaiv

The issue of waste sorting in Mykolaiv was raised as far back as 2019, when the cost of two lines was estimated at approximately 10 million hryvnias. At the time, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych insisted that the costs should be borne by investors, not the city budget. Although a waste management programme was adopted, it never came to fruition.

The Supreme Court ruled that the city council’s inaction was unlawful and ordered the construction of a sorting line, as the landfill, which has been in operation since 1972, has reached the end of its useful life.

In 2024, councillors approved the operating procedures for the solid waste sorting complex and announced an investment tender. The first tender did not take place, and the second was won by Waste To Energy Niko LLC. However, the company received only the minimum required score, and councillors and the head of the regional state administration, Vitalii Kim, criticised the lack of transparency in the procedure and the unfavourable terms.

Law enforcement opened an investigation and carried out searches at the city council. At the session on 28 August, councillors did not support the approval of the contract with the winner. The city authorities are preparing new tender conditions. Oleksandr Sienkevych stated that the process would be public, involving international partners, notably from Denmark.

At the session in March 2026, councillors were due to approve the updated operating procedures for the household waste sorting complex. However, the vote failed: there were not enough votes to pass the decision.

Read also the article by NikVesti: «How Mykolaiv plans to start sorting waste».