NEO ECO and Neo-Eco Ukraine, commissioned by Odesa Regional State Administration, are starting a project to study the ports of the region with the aim of further dredging them and changing the sediment and waste management system, Neo Eco Ukraine director Bart Gruyaert told Interfax-Ukraine.

"Our new initiative will focus on the remediation of river and marine sediments. The project will aim to identify strategic dredging operations to support the capacity of the ports of Odesa region, assess the volume, qualify the sediments and begin valorization on the ground. This project can improve the economic capacity of the ports and help Ukraine move closer to EU standards for sediment and waste management," he said.

Gruyaert said Neo-Eco's portfolio includes similar projects like Sedi materiau (creating composite materials from recycled sludge and plastic) and SNCF ECOCIR (valorization of railway ballast). Part of the strategic research was carried out in the French region of Southern Provence – Alpes – Côte d'Azur (Région Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azuri). It was this region that became the financial partner of the project in Odesa region.

"The research budget is EUR 80,000: EUR 30,000 is allocated by Neo-Eco, another EUR 50,000 is allocated by the region of Southern Provence – Alpes – Côte d'Azur. We plan to show the first results in September 2024," Gruyaert said.

The French company Neo-Eco has been working on the principle of a circular economy for 17 years – the integration of already used materials. Using the same principle, Neo-Eco implemented a project in Hostomel (Kyiv region). In January 2024, a White Paper on handling asbestos-containing materials developed by experts from Neo Eco Ukraine, CES clean energy solution and iC consulenten Ukraine, was presented.