The Cabinet of Ministers has established regulations for the management of unregulated landfills

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is implementing a clear mechanism for identifying and tracking waste whose owner has not been identified, having adopted a corresponding resolution at its meeting on July 1, 2026. The new procedure is designed to address the chronic problem of unauthorized landfills and provide local governments and local state administrations with additional tools for rapid response. 

The decision was adopted as part of efforts to comply with the requirements of Ukraine’s fundamental Law “On Waste Management.” Local authorities will now be required to properly account for such waste and ensure its subsequent processing in accordance with environmental legislation. 

Thanks to these amendments, the government expects to establish a transparent mechanism for monitoring problem areas, which will significantly reduce the number of illegal landfills in communities. In addition, this should reduce the risks of soil, groundwater, and air pollution, as well as improve the overall environmental situation in the regions. In effect, communities are not only being given the responsibility to clean up “ownerless” waste but also a clear legal framework for action, which is intended to bring local waste management out of the shadows.

This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Economy.

In the Lviv region, rescue workers are extinguishing a fire at a former landfill in Pustomyty, where the blaze has engulfed hundreds of square meters and is smoldering several meters underground. At the same time, seven more fires have been reported in the region’s ecosystems, which have already spread across more than 100,000 square meters of territory.

The prosecutor’s office is seeking a court order to close the hazardous landfill in Irpin.