Regulation of food waste management in Ukraine and abroad

Abstract

In the world in general and in Ukraine in particular, there is a catastrophic environmental situation with food waste. The solution to the problem of waste accumulation, the organization of quality control of compliance with legislation in their treatment, the formation of environmental awareness of the population is hampered by the lack of unanimity in defining the essence of waste, industrial waste, waste in the regulatory framework and among scientists. The aim of the work is to study the essence of the definition of food waste in domestic and foreign scientific discussions and regulations in terms of improving the regulation of their treatment in Ukraine. Scientific discussion of domestic and foreign authors on the concept of waste, in particular food, as well as their regulations demonstrate a wide variety of not only definitions but also approaches. This takes into account the legal basis for waste operations, their physical condition and properties, environmental and economic characteristics, the criterion of goal setting, accounting approach and so on. The analysis of the existing classifications of waste stated the absence of a separate category of food waste both in the works of Ukrainian scientists and in domestic regulations, while foreign authors are actively researching this category. According to the results of the study, it is proposed to introduce into the domestic regulatory framework the term "loss of food and food waste" commonly used abroad with the following definition: products (substances) as edible parts of plants and animals produced or collected for human consumption but ultimately not consumed. Critical analysis of domestic environmental legislation in comparison with European allowed to propose the implementation of the Waste Framework Directive, as well as the formation of a hierarchy of waste management priorities: prevention, preparation for reuse, recycling, other types of disposal, elimination as Ukraine's European integration. Areas of further research will be the study of food waste disposal technologies of the modern city.