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Background

General information

  • Ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) are used in refrigeration equipment where they either transfer heat as refrigerants or prevent heat transmission as thermal insulation foaming agents. With refrigerators and other ODS-containing devices disposed of improperly, ODSs release into the atmosphere and deplete the ozone layer protecting the Earth.
  • Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) — sometimes known as forever chemicals — are toxic chemicals extremely resistant to degradation and capable of causing cancer. Being disposed of improperly, POPs travel long distances, bioaccumulate and move up the food chain.

Domestic and industrial wastes containing ODSs and POPs may adversely affect human health and the environment. Management of ODS- and POP-containing wastes is a serious challenge for the Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Scope of the project

  • The regional demonstration project for coordinated management of ODS and POP disposal is implemented in Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Armenia.
  • The project is aimed at supporting their efforts in implementing the international commitments to deal with ODSs and POPs.
  • The project enables environmentally sound collection and destruction of targeted POPs and ODSs in Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan and the treatment of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Armenia.
  • Through the building up of three independent and at the same time interconnected ODS/POP destruction centers, conditions for cooperation and load sharing, particularly within the free trade zone, will be created.
  • Under such an approach, joint training activities for the personnel of all the centers would be organized thus increasing efficiency of personnel training.

Similarity of the participating countries in terms of geography, socio-economic background and industrial development served as a reason for development of a regional and not a country-based project, which offers several advantages:

  • Savings in the shared preparatory work, feasibility studies and systems design.
  • Economies of scale in the procurement of equipment and services.
  • Dissemination of project-proven efficient solutions in the region and non-participating countries.
  • More efficient tracking of transboundary waste movement and development of interstate cooperation through networking.
World Development Indicators * World Development Indicators, 2018
** World Development Indicators, 2010

The project is expected to develop new approaches to overcome the difficulties that all CEIT countries face in the safe management of ODS and POP banks.

Current situation

  • The participating countries are parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
  • The countries adopted the national legislation to control the ODS and POP use and movement and now making efforts to harmonize it with the international agreements, however they lack the detailed regulatory frameworks to ensure the local relevant waste management, including POPs and ODSs.
  • Alongside the efforts the four participating countries make to meet the agreed CFC and HCFC phase‐out schedule under the Montreal Protocol, activities addressing management of ODS stocks (also known as ODS banks), recovery and destruction of ODSs of end-of-life equipment are next to none.
  • The countries possess no efficient systems for collection and storage of used refrigerants or end-of-life ODS-containing equipment, and due to lack of awareness of impact, and ineffective regulations, controls, and penalties, intentional venting of refrigerants into the atmosphere is common practice.
  • In relation to POPs, the participating countries limited their activities with inventory of PCBs and POP-pesticides. With considerable work done to evaluate ODS banks, the countries experienced problems in developing models for environmentally sound collection and destruction of those banks and relevant destruction methods.

Despite the ongoing efforts under the Montreal Protocol and Stockholm Convention, the situation in all the participating countries is the same: refrigerators and other equipment are landfilled, and POPs are either stored in unacceptable conditions or destroyed in unsuitable incinerators, resulting in pollution and human health risks.