The Housing and Utilities Department in Mykolaiv has announced its readiness to launch a tender for waste sorting — pending the decision of the council meeting

Solid waste landfill near Mykolaiv. Photo for illustrative purposes: NikVesti archive

Mykolaiv plans to launch a new tender to select a company to handle the sorting of household waste. The final decision is to be made by councillors at a city council meeting. The tender process will then officially begin.

This was announced during an executive committee meeting by Igor Nabatov, First Deputy Director of the Housing and Utilities Department.

According to him, the tender procedure has been finalised taking into account the recommendations of the working group.

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In particular, the approach to land plot requirements has been changed. Whereas previously a participant had to confirm ownership or lease of the land, prior agreements are now also permitted.

«We have expanded the potential pool of participants and now, in accordance with the tender conditions, we accept not only documents confirming ownership or lease, but also evidence of an agreement regarding potential ownership or lease,» he noted

The system for awarding points based on existing criteria has also been clarified. In addition, two new criteria have been added: the financial capacity of the enterprise and the availability of the necessary technical staff.

«We have submitted the revised draft decision to the Antimonopoly Committee. The Antimonopoly Committee had some questions. We addressed these questions in a working group and provided our responses. Following this, we received approval. The changes were not significant. And today we have a draft decision that will be considered at the session,» he added

The draft decision is now ready for consideration at the city council session. If councillors support it, the tender will be officially announced, and participants will have 30 days to submit their proposals.

Earlier, Ihor Nabatov told NikVesti that the terms regarding the contract’s duration had changed slightly. It will now last for no more than 15 years, but with the option to extend it for a further 10 years upon completion.

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, had 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, whilst 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.

Read also the article by NikVesti:‘How Mykolaiv plans to start sorting waste’.