Waste sorting and separate collection. DTEK Dnipro Grids shares its experience

Thermal power generation11 June 2020

DTEK Dnipro Grids has in place a high-performance waste management system that deals with waste produced by the company in the course of its operations. In 2019 alone, the company invested almost UAH 1 million in the development and improvement of this system. This system is the epitome of a sustainable development policy based on ISO 14001:2015 environmental management standard and demonstrates the implementation of the company’s commitments under the UN Global Compact.

‘DTEK acts in Ukraine’s best interests and cares about the environment. This is why we use sustained efforts to ensure correct sorting of waste and its separate collection. Then, we carefully monitor its processing. In 2019 alone, we collected more than 635 tonnes of recyclables and scrap metal. All these waste was recycled and did not contaminate the environment. In this way we minimize impact caused by our operations and honour our commitments to preserve and protect the environment,’ noted DTEK Dnipro Grids CEO Andrii Tereshchuk.

Last year, the company tripled the collection and recycling of plastic and rubber. In the past 5 years, it has also ramped up the collection of waste paper and delivered for recycling more than 13 tonnes, collected 370 kg of used batteries and 55 kg of expired medicines. Furthermore, the company’s personnel collected and delivered for disposal 1.3 tonnes of spent bulbs containing mercury.

All these results have been achieved through a clear and elaborate waste management system. Today we collect 40 types of waste: spent mercury containing bulbs, tyres, batteries, petroleum products, rubber waste, protective clothing, waste paper, electrical insulation materials, polymers, broken glass, etc. Special places with containers for separate waste collection have been arranged at each business unit of the company. More than 610 containers have been installed in the past 5 years, and today the company has more than a thousand of them. All the containers have been marked depending on type and danger class.

The company has made agreements with specialized contractors that hold necessary licenses and operate facilities for processing dangerous waste.

In 2018, the company’s waste collection and disposal system was recognized as the best at the Green Technologies and Innovations competition held within a framework of the Green Business Solutions: Unity for Sustainable Development Ukrainian-German Project.

As has already been mentioned, DTEK Dnipro Grids plans to replace all currently used mercury-containing bulbs with environmentally-friendly LED bulbs by the end of 2025. Also, by 2030, the company intends to completely abandon the use of oil-containing circuit breakers.