Uman Municipal Services Overwhelmed by Garbage After Rosh Hashanah

UMAN, UKRAINE — More than 50,000 Hasidic pilgrims who traveled to Uman for Rosh Hashanah have left the city’s municipal services struggling to clear large quantities of garbage from residential neighborhoods following the three-day celebration.

The pilgrimage, which concluded on September 13, 2026, reportedly drew a record number of foreign visitors to Uman, according to Novyny.LIVE. Local authorities and municipal crews continued working throughout the event, but officials faced severe shortages of personnel and specialized equipment needed to remove the accumulated waste.

Photographs published by Novyny.LIVE showed garbage overflowing from containers and accumulating in residential courtyards near the pilgrimage area. Plastic dishes, boxes, and bags containing leftover food were reportedly discarded around garbage collection points, while piles of household waste also covered streets and surrounded parked vehicles.

The large crowds also complicated the cleanup effort, with the density of pedestrians and vehicles on central roads making it difficult for municipal trucks to reach affected areas. The condition of public spaces reportedly caused significant indignation among local residents.

Despite the strain on the city’s infrastructure, police reported no serious security violations during the pilgrimage. Checkpoints operated at the entrances and exits to Uman, while alcohol sales and consumption and the use of pyrotechnics were prohibited in the pilgrimage area. The authorities also reported that pilgrims held a mass prayer for peace in Ukraine.

Previously, the UOJ reported that a Ukrainian official condemned UOC pilgrims marching to Pochaiv.