Management of industrial and municipal solid wastes in Poland

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. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.