Debris acquires new purpose in recycling project
– Artem Sumara walked through a school destroyed during Russia’s invasion, overseeing a project to recycle its debris in the hope of building a greener Ukraine.
Around him, in the light dust of the construction site in the southern region of Mykolaiv, military veterans recruited by the French company Neo-Eco were carefully triaging the debris.
Sumara said the main aim was “to reuse everything”.
The task is ambitious but vital as Ukraine, already rebuilding despite the ongoing invasion, has to manage a huge amount of waste and debris due to the war.
A glance through the debris was enough to bring the rural school back to life. A physics textbook lay in between destroyed bricks, next to torn apart notebooks.
Sumara said he hoped at least 70% of what remains of the school can be recycled.
“It is not easy. Recycling in any form will be more difficult than buying something new,” he said.
Some of the old materials cannot be reused as such, including those contaminated with asbestos, which is widespread in Ukraine.
But the recycling process still pollutes less than using new materials, according to Neo-Eco, since the building sector is a major emitter of CO2.
Recycled materials will also “cost less than new products”, Sumara added.
Cheaper recycled products could help Ukraine, which is taking on a huge reconstruction effort two years into a devastating Russian invasion. The war has destroyed or damaged around 10% of the country’s real estate, according to the World Bank.
It has also generated around 450 million tons of debris, according to Kyiv – far too much for the landfill capacity in Ukraine, which was already struggling to recycle before the invasion.
Neglected debris could contaminate the surrounding fields and forests.
French company Neo-Eco, a specialist in the field, has already worked in Beirut after the 2020 explosion that killed over 200 people and left swathes of the Lebanese capital in ruins.
But manoeuvring in war zones comes with additional challenges.
Just the day before AFP visited, workers discovered a mine on the construction site, which is located in the village of Liubomyrivka.
The small settlement with a pre-war population of 1 000 people was occupied for several months at the beginning of the invasion.
“The Russians were there,” said Sumara, pointing at a nearby field.
They have since been pushed back around 70km away but traces of fighting remain around the village, with many partially-destroyed homes and torn-off roofs.
And for the veterans, helping to rebuild the schools was a way to continue the fight after being discharged from the army.
“Returning veterans want to continue to help as much as possible, to help in their native land in the confrontation with the aggressor,” said Nelli Yarovenko, a representative for the NGO Mission East.
Volodymyr Vinokur, a 52-yearold wounded by shrapnel on the eastern front, says the project is a “bridge to civilian life”.
“Every day we are gradually moving forward and transforming the destroyed building into something new,” he said.
“We are removing the consequences of the war.” –