Project milestones
October 21–26, 2018. Study tour to Mexico
The project team studied local experience in environmentally sound destruction of ozone-depleting substances and persistent organic pollutants to identify best practices and determine key conditions for further use in implementation of the regional demonstration project.
November 2018. Project beneficiary selected in Belarus
Gomel toxic industrial waste treatment and disposal facility, a unitary utility enterprise, was selected as a Belorussian beneficiary of the project. The enterprise will be supplied an environmentally safe ODS and POP co-destruction facility for further operation.
February 25–28, 2019. Study tour to Finland
The project delegation visited three leading Finnish enterprises engaged in ODS collection, processing, and disposal: EcoScandic, Ekomo, Fortum. The visit provided the insight into all stages of ODS-containing waste treatment: from collection and reclamation to disposal and burning. The lessons of the study tour will be used in building up the waste management and disposal sub-networks in the participating countries.
March 4–8, 2019. First session of the Project Steering Committee
The first session of the Project Steering Committee (PSC) of the Regional demonstration project took place in Belarus.
Following the session, UNIDO, one of the PSC members, visited refrigeration equipment recycling facilities BelVTI and Gomel toxic industrial waste treatment and disposal facility; the latter will be a location of an environmentally safe ODS and POP co-destruction facility.
June 7–8, 2019. Discussion on proper hazardous waste management at XV Eco-Forum in Belarus
Leading environmental professionals, representatives of government authorities and civil society participated in the discussion on proper hazardous waste management at XV Republican environmental forum in Belarus.
October 20–24, 2019. Discussion of the synergy of GEF-UNIDO projects “Regional Demonstration Project for Coordinated Management of ODS and POPs Disposal in Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia” and “Environmentally Sound Management and Final Disposal of PCBs in Ukraine”
Project teams of GEF-UNIDO projects “Regional Demonstration Project for Coordinated Management of ODS and POPs Disposal in Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia” and “Environmentally Sound Management and Final Disposal of PCBs in Ukraine” met in Kyiv to discuss the synergy of the projects and develop a joint plan for Q4 2019–Q4 2021.
January 19–24, 2020. Workshop on E-waste statistics in Moscow
The project team visited the Russian Federation to participate in a workshop, E-waste statistics, held as part of the project by German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA) “Regional E-waste Monitor: CIS plus Georgia, Turkmenistan and Ukraine.” The project team also visited a Yaroslavl plant which had received technical assistance as part of a similar project.
October 20, 2020. The project presented at the Conference for Prospects of developing waste treatment technology parks in Ukraine
The project team participated in the opening of the Conference of the National Platform for Prospects of developing waste treatment technology parks in Ukraine, visited enterprises UKRAVIT and Saturn, and discussed mid-term results and further implementation of the project with the management of UKRAVIT.
December 23–25, 2020. Thermal waste treatment plant supplied to Belarus
A KTO-type thermal waste treatment plant (KTO is acronym for incinerator) was supplied to Gomel toxic industrial waste treatment and disposal facility, Dubrovka village, Chachersk district, Gomel oblast, Belarus, for thermal decontamination of wastes. The plant was supplied as part of the GEF-UNIDO project.
May 27, 2021. Second session of Project Steering Committee of GEF-UNIDO project
On May 27, 2021, the second session of the Project Steering Committee of the project on the coordinated management of ODS and POP disposal in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Armenia took place.