Taking care of the environment: DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids recycles production waste

“DTEK is transforming its business in accordance with the New 2030 Strategy based on ESG principles, values and business responsibility for progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Global Compact. We are systematically working to minimize the amount of waste. And those generated are sorted and sent for recycling. At the end of November, the company handed over almost 6 tons of hazardous waste and 600 fluorescent lamps from the production sites for disposal and recycling,” says Vitaliy Shaida, Head of DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids.

In general, the company transferred 13 waste categories for disposal, 9 of which are hazardous. One of the major waste categories from DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids is used porcelain and glass insulators. It is an inert material that can be used in the manufacture of refractories, electrical ceramics, and landscaping pathways. The company handed over five tons for processing and utilization. Other waste that the company handed over for recycling are 200 kg of finger batteries, almost 200 kg of oiled rags and 340 kg of used office equipment and spare parts.

Moreover, DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids is implementing measures that reduce waste generation. During 2021, DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids replaced 41 oil circuit breakers at 35-110 kV substations in the Kyiv region with new vacuum ones. They are more reliable and do not pose a potential threat to the environment due to possible oil leakage. With vacuum circuit breakers, customers have a more stable power supply and a safer environment.

As previously reported, the company has not purchased mercury-containing lamps since 2019. Since the beginning of 2021, DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids have installed more than 2,000 environmentally friendly and energy-efficient LED lamps instead of mercury-containing ones.