Municipal Waste Management in Poland Compared to Other European Union Countries (original) (raw)

Assessment of the Changes in the Economy of Municipal Waste in Poland After 2004

New Trends in Production Engineering, 2018

The aim of European Union policy is to implement the principles of sustainable development, in which particularly important are: environmental protection and rational management of resources. Major role is given to waste management and appropriate prioritization of activities in this area. The main goal of waste management is prevention, minimization and elimination of wastes “at source”, as well as encouraging efficient use of natural resources through recovery and recycling of waste. Storage process should be minimalized over the years until the complete elimination. As shown by statistics data, unfortunately in Poland, the process is very slow. The analysis of the data provided by the Central Statistical Office (CSO) over the last thirteen years shows a significant increase in the level of recovery and recycling of municipal waste. All together it was 11.654 million Mg of municipal waste collected in 2016. Wastes selected from municipal waste (paper, glass, plastics, metals) acco...

Management of industrial and municipal solid wastes in Poland

Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2001

Altogether more than 4 billion tonnes of wastes are landfilled in Poland and every year this amount increases by 145 million tonnes (without taking into account the overburden produced in open-pit mines). This includes 133 million tonnes of industrial and 12 million tonnes of municipal solid wastes-MSW). Their amount (mainly MSW) is expected to rise constantly, similarly as in other European countries mainly due to: increasing urbanization, a rising standard of living and, consequently, changing patterns of social behaviour, habits (higher consumption), and changes in the waste composition patterns (more consumer product packaging). The issue of waste is increasingly topical in Poland, not only because of the increase in the amount, but chiefly because of the lack of an efficient system for its management, and the impact of wastes and their processing (utilization) on the environment. To improve waste management in Poland, the following tasks are to be completed: (1) to bring waste legislation into compliance with EU standards; (2) to undertake projects involving alternative ways of waste disposal (including recycling technologies that permit processing part of each material introduced to the market); (3) to increase funding of waste management projects; (4) to encourage local authorities to implement principles of sustainable waste management; and (5) to promote principles of rational waste management in the society.

Municipal waste management in Polish national and local plans

2008

Physicochemical properties of municipal waste collected in Poland have been characterized quantitatively. The regulations and methods for municipal waste management used in Poland have been discussed. At present the methods most often used for municipal waste are the selective collection (the use of materials which with the present state of technique and technology can be recycled) or segregation of the collected waste. This is the first stage – besides landfilling – on the way to render municipal waste harmless. An insignificant increase in the amount of waste subjected to various treatments outside landfills, which has been observed in recent years, results from the fact that a very small amount of such waste has been obtained from segregated waste products and those selected from mixed waste. The currently available techniques enable effective treatment of waste; however, in Poland we lack such installations. Another barrier to the use of these methods is created by people themse...

Assessment of changes in the municipal waste accumulation in Poland

Environmental Science and Pollution Research

The aim of the work was to assess the effectiveness of municipal waste management in Poland over the period 2012–2017, considering the accumulation of waste collected selectively and non-selectively per capita and the changes resulting from the implementation of Directives 1999/31/EC and 2008/98/EC in Polish legislation. Within 6 years, noticeable changes in the country initiated by the EU and national legislation indicated an increase in the amount of waste to be recovered. However, the achieved efficiency of limiting the deposited waste at the level of 20% was moderate, despite the existence of infrastructure allowing for increased recovery. The analysis of the efficiency of waste management showed a certain convergence of the increase in the amount of generated waste and gross domestic product (GDP). On the other hand, the increase in accumulated organic waste per capita in all three dimensions of time was the most significant and exceeded 20%.

Analysis of implementing sustainable municipal solid waste management. Krakow city case study.

14th SGEM GeoConference on ECOLOGY, ECONOMICS, EDUCATION AND LEGISLATION, 2014

In the second half of the twentieth century the problems related to waste disposal have become a serious civilization challenge. Economic and technical development led to increased production of waste. The most important objective of the Waste Framework Directive (Directive 2008/98/EC on waste) is to break the link between economic growth and waste generation. The principles of sustainable development and the European Union regulations for sustainable waste management are the main guidelines for municipal waste management policy in Poland. According to the Directive, sustainable treatment of waste must follow the hierarchy which is listed in order of priority: prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling, other recovery e.g. energy recovery and disposal. A number of reforms were introduced in Poland according to the EU guidelines. New regulations organizing a new waste management system in the country were introduced in 2013. The local governments were responsible for the implementation of the new policy. Also, the local government of the city of Krakow had to reform municipal waste management. The paper presents issues related to the municipal waste management in Krakow. Analysis presented in the article shows municipal waste collection system and main installations for the waste management and processing. Installations for composting biodegradable waste, segregation of recyclable materials, alternative fuel processing and waste storage in the landfill are described as well as the municipal waste incineration plant - the largest of the investments in the municipal waste management.

Municipal waste recycling in big cities in Poland in the context of ecologisation

Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series

The goal of the paper is to evaluate and analyse changes in selective municipal collection, recycling level, and recovery, of waste. The article indicates the Polish legislation currently in force to systematise the organisation of waste management systems. It presents the participation of selective waste collection in the total municipal waste at the voivodeship scale, as well as changes in the number of individually segregated fractions (i.e. categories of waste segregation) of selectively collected waste in Poland. Moreover, the levels of waste recycling and recovery were analysed for the country’s ten largest cities, while also showing that the cities implement accepted goals of municipal waste recovery. On the example of Warsaw, the structure of collected waste was discussed and attention was paid to the problem of quality of collected waste, which results in it being sent to sorting facilities.

Factors of Changes in Waste Management in a Mountain Region of Southern Poland

Journal of Ecological Engineering

The aim of the work was to analyse the changes in the effectiveness of municipal waste management for the period 2009-2015, in one of the largest counties in the mountainous region of southern Poland. Socio-demographic factors, as well as changes as a result of the implementation of the provisions of Directive 1999/31/WE and Directive 2008/98/EC into Polish legislation, are considered. Over the period of seven years, there was a significant increase in the amount of municipal waste generated in the county of 32%, with a simultaneous increase in the number of inhabitants and a decrease in the number of individuals registered as unemployed. An increase in the amount of waste that is non-selectively collected and the number of properties covered by collections of municipal waste occurred before there were any changes in waste management. However, after the changes, the amount of six types of waste selectively collected (paper and cardboard, plastic, metal, bulky, WEEE) increased, with a significant 40% share of glass waste reference to the selectively collected waste. This may result from the changes in waste management. However, over the whole research period, more than 80% of waste was non-selectively collected, which may result from a lack of ecological awareness.

Monitoring of municipal waste generated in the City of Warsaw

Waste Management & Research, 2012

Waste management in the new EU member states is currently undergoing rapid development in order to comply with the European legislation. In Poland there is a lack of capacity of waste treatment installations for residual waste which amounts to 5.5 million tonnes year −1 . Detailed data on waste generation is needed to design new installations and ensure their efficient operation. This paper presents the results of the monitoring of municipal waste generation in Warsaw, being one of the largest agglomerations in the region. Detailed quantitative and qualitative results for both household and institutional waste are provided, as well as the technological properties of the household waste. The amount of municipal waste generated per capita amounted to 390 kg year −1 . The main fractions contributing to the mixed household waste were: biodegradable kitchen waste, packaging plastics, non-packaging paper and cardboard, packaging glass and packaging paper and cardboard. The coarse fraction (> 100 mm) constituted 40% of total household waste, of which the majority were recyclables. The lower heating value of residual waste was sufficient to allow mass incineration. Data on historical developments of household waste quantities and composition since the year 2000 along with their estimates until the year 2020 are provided and discussed. Current problems of municipal waste management in Warsaw along with the proposed future solutions are briefly outlined.

Regional use of European Funds in municipal waste management in Poland

European Journal of Service Management, 2018

The level of management of municipal waste management has a very real impact on life. Consequently, this can be associated with high risks both locally and globally. Thanks to the use of modern solutions for the management of municipal waste, the level of impact of municipal waste on the environment can be significantly reduced. However, modern solutions are associated with the high cost of building the plant and the whole system for managing the management of municipal waste. In addition to costs, the level of awareness of the people, their habits, traditions and education, is vital for improving the situation. Article aims to explore and familiarize use of European funds in the management of municipal waste in Poland. Will examine the distribution channels of these measures. The article will present three projects co-financed from European funds implemented by one of the Regional Installation of Municipal Waste Treatment.