STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF INTERNATIONAL WASTE TRADE: GERMANY AND ITALY AS PARADIGMS FOR UKRAINE'S INTEGRATION INTO THE EUROPEAN CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Abstract
This article presents a strategic analysis of the dynamics of international waste trade, focusing on Germany and Italy as benchmarks for Ukraine's integration into the European circular economy. Ukraine currently faces an urgent need to transition from a linear model, where over 90% of solid municipal waste is landfilled, to a resource-efficient system, especially given the generation of over 12 million tons of war-related waste. The study examines the German paradigm, which achieves a stable recovery rate of 82% thanks to high-tech infrastructure and extensive waste-to-energy capacities, and the Italian model, which leads the EU in packaging recycling with a rate of 75.6%. The comparative assessment shows how Ukraine can use its new legislative framework, Law No. 2320-IX, to harmonize national standards with EU Directive 2008/98/EC. Strategic conclusions highlight bilateral opportunities, such as the €2.5 billion green metallurgy project in Piombino, Italy, which uses Ukrainian secondary raw materials, and decentralized waste-to-energy initiatives aimed at improving the energy sustainability of cities. In addition, the GIZ-supported model of inter-municipal cooperation in Poltava (EcoService2022) provides a scalable template for regional waste management. The study concludes that Ukraine's integration depends on a shift from declarative policy to the operational implementation of extended producer responsibility (EPR) and industrial pollution control, positioning the country as a vital supplier for European industrial decarbonization. Connecting Ukraine to the dynamics of international waste trade with Germany and Italy involves addressing the problem of the “waste intensity” of its GDP and modernizing its legislative framework, in particular by implementing Law No. 2320-IX “On Waste Management”. The practical task involves not only building physical processing plants, but also creating institutional capacity to participate in high-value secondary raw material markets, such as “green” metallurgy and decentralized waste-to-energy networks. Failure to address these issues risks turning Ukraine’s recovery into a new cycle of resource depletion and environmental liability.
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