Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Hazardous household waste management in Ukraine and Austria

  • REGIONAL CASE STUDY
  • Published:
Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Hazardous household waste is one of the most problematic categories in household waste. The careless disposal of this waste might result in the leaching of many contaminants. Austria has an extensive system of hazardous household waste management, while Ukraine has an inefficient waste management system and very limited statistical data available. To estimate the performance of hazardous household waste management, an analysis of various open sources was carried out. In Austria, hazardous household waste is usually collected separately: through many stationary and mobile collection points. In Ukraine, there are very few local initiatives of collecting only the most common hazardous household waste (e.g., lamps, batteries, mercury-containing thermometers). Hazardous household waste generation in Austria is found to be much higher comparing to Ukraine despite much lower population. In Austria and Ukraine both, about half accounts for old paints, varnishes, solvents, and waste batteries. Only 20% of hazardous household waste in Ukraine is collected separately, while Austria has much higher rate—about 65%. Still thousands of tons of hazardous household waste are found in residual waste: in both Austria and Ukraine. The strong differences in amounts generated waste suggest that official data on hazardous household waste generation in Ukraine are probably underestimated.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Adamcová D, Vaverková MD, Stejskal B, Břoušková E (2016) Household solid waste composition focusing on hazardous waste. Pol J Environ Stud 25(2):487–493. https://doi.org/10.15244/pjoes/61011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Ishchenko V, Pohrebennyk V, Kochan R, Mitryasova O, Zawislak S (2019) Assessment of hazardous household waste generation in Eastern Europe. Int Multidiscip Sci Geoconf SGEM. https://doi.org/10.5593/sgem2019/6.1/S25.072

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Yasuda K, Tanaka M (2006) Report on hazardous household waste generation in Japan. Waste Manage Res 24(4):397–401. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X06064821

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Ojeda-Benítez S, Aguilar-Virgen Q, Taboada-González P, Cruz-Sotelo SE (2013) Household hazardous wastes as a potential source of pollution: a generation study. Waste Manage Res 31(12):1279–1284. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X13510057

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Al-Tamimi WM, Khatib I, Kontogianni S (2018) Household hazardous waste quantification, characterization, and management in developing countries cities: a case study. In: Hussain CM (ed) Handbook of Environmental Materials Management. Springer, Cham, pp 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58538-3_15-1

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  6. Gendebien A, Leavens A, Blackmore K, Godley A, Lewin K, Franke B, Franke A (2002) Study on Hazardous Household Waste (HHW) with a Main Emphasis on Hazardous Household Chemicals (HHC). Final Report, European Commission, Directorate General Environment. European Commission, Brussels.

  7. Hlavatska L, Ishchenko V, Pohrebennyk V, Salamon I (2021) Material flow analysis of waste electrical and electronic equipment in Ukraine. J Ecol Eng 22(9):199–208. https://doi.org/10.12911/22998993/141571

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Terazono A, Oguchi M, Iino S, Mogi S (2015) Battery collection in municipal waste management in Japan: challenges for hazardous substance control and safety. Waste Manage 39:246–257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2015.01.038

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Nigl T, Schwarz TE, Walch C, Baldauf M, Rutrecht B, Pomberger R (2020) Characterisation and material flow analysis of end-of-life portable batteries and lithium-based batteries in different waste streams in Austria. Waste Manage Res 38(6):649–659. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X20914717

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Sarc R, Lorber KE (2013) Production, quality and quality assurance of Refuse Derived Fuels (RDFs). Waste Manage 33(9):1825–1834. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2013.05.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Nigl T, Baldauf M, Hohenberger M, Pomberger R (2021) Lithium-ion batteries as ignition sources in waste treatment processes—a semi-quantitate risk analysis and assessment of battery-caused waste fires. Processes 9(1):1–12. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9010049

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Vogler S, Leopold C, Zuidberg C, Habl C (2014) Medicines discarded in household garbage: analysis of a pharmaceutical waste sample in Vienna. J Pharm Policy Pract 7(1):1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/2052-3211-7-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Rogowska J, Zimmermann A, Muszyńska A, Ratajczyk W, Wolska L (2019) Pharmaceutical household waste practices: preliminary findings from a case study in Poland. Environ Manage 64(1):97–106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-019-01174-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Jang YC, Choi K, Kwon Y, Song H, Kim H (2022) Recycling and material flow analysis of end-of-life fluorescent lamps in South Korea. Energies 15(23):8825. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15238825

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Grigoropoulos CJ, Doulos LT, Zerefos SC, Tsangrassoulis A, Bhusal P (2020) Estimating the benefits of increasing the recycling rate of lamps from the domestic sector: methodology, opportunities and case study. Waste Manage 101:188–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2019.10.010

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Ariffin M, Zakili TST (2019) Household pharmaceutical waste disposal in Selangor, Malaysia—policy, public perception, and current practices. Environ Manage 64(4):509–519. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-019-01199-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Salhofer S, Tesar M (2011) Assessment of removal of components containing hazardous substances from small WEEE in Austria. J Hazard Mater 186(2–3):1481–1488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2010.12.030

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Federal Waste Management Plan 2017 (2017) Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism, Vienna.

  19. Tätigkeitsbericht 2020 (2020) Elektroaltgeräte Koordinierungsstelle Austria GmbH, Vienna.

  20. Bundes-Abfallwirtschaftsplan, (2022) (2022) Bundesministerium für Klimaschutz, Umwelt, Energie, Mobilität. Innovation und Technologie, Wien

    Google Scholar 

  21. Pultz R (2020) Analyse des Anfalls und der Entsorgung von Altbatterien in Österreich. Diplomarbeit, Technischen Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria

    Google Scholar 

  22. Vollmer G (2010) Disposal of pharmaceutical waste in household - a European survey. In: Kümmerer K, Hempel M (eds) Green and Sustainable pharmacy. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg, pp 165–178

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  23. Skutan S, Brunner PH (2006) Stoffbilanzen mechanisch-biologischer Anlagen zur Behandlung von Restmüll (SEMBA). Final report, TU Wien, Vienna

    Google Scholar 

  24. National report on environment in Ukraine in 2020 (2021) Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Kyiv.

  25. Waste generation and processing. State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Available at: https://www.ukrstat.gov.ua/

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was carried out under the research project “Hazardous household waste management in Austria and Ukraine: a case study of batteries” financed by Austria’s Agency for Education and Internationalisation and Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Chemistry and Environmental Protection Technologies, Vinnytsia National Technical University, Khmelnytske Shose 95, Vinnytsa, Ukraine

    Vitalii Ishchenko

  2. Institute for Water Quality and Resource Management, Karlsplatz 13/226, Vienna, Austria

    Sabine Dworak & Johann Fellner

Authors
  1. Vitalii Ishchenko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sabine Dworak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Johann Fellner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vitalii Ishchenko.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ishchenko, V., Dworak, S. & Fellner, J. Hazardous household waste management in Ukraine and Austria. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 26, 635–641 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-023-01818-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-023-01818-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation