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In this paper, we compare the development and possibilities for improvement of waste management in three countries: Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland. Waste management is part of the circular economy. The circular economy is the basis for waste management today. This applies to municipal waste management, too. In this paper, we work with data available in the Eurostat database. We mainly deal with municipal waste in the three chosen countries. The output of this paper is an assessment of indicators such as recycling rates and waste production. The outputs are documented graphically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Iuridica Lublinensia is the property of Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the waste management sector had to face new challenges, e.g., changes in the size and composition of the waste stream, or the presence of potentially infectious waste. This article is based on a case study in Poland. The data analysis showed that the increase in municipal waste mass during the pandemic did not differ from statistics observed in previous years and ranged from 0.3 to 0.5 million tons per year. Lifestyle changes caused a decrease in the amount of waste generated outside households. Social migrations contributed to rapid changes in the mass of waste generated in selected agglomerations by up to 80 kg/capita. In the waste stream, significant amounts of specific groups of waste related to the pandemic ("corona waste") as well as packaging and food waste were noted. Despite the pandemic, in 2020, Poland recorded an increase in selective waste collection by 6.7 percentage points (pp.) Data on municipal waste management showed an increase in the mass of waste sent for recycling by 0.7 million tons, while the mass of landfilled waste decreased by 0.3 million tons. The observed positive changes in waste management allow the implementation of sustainable development assumptions to a greater extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the Stabilized Organic Fraction (SOF) 0–80 mm separated from the municipal waste stream is sent in its entirety to landfill in the mechanical-biological treatment plants operating in Poland. Such action does not align with the adopted EU strategy focused on waste management in the circular economy. This study aimed to assess the technical feasibility of the process of purification of mineral fractions with a grain size of 10–80 mm separated from SOF on a technological installation designed for glass recovery, built at the Marszów Plant. In terms of material, mineral fractions are a mixture of stones, rubble and glass, contaminated with various components, mainly organic. In 2020, the glass recovery installation was expanded with an innovative process of gravity separation to separate mineral fraction from SOF with the use of a jigging machine. A pulse jig used in the mining industry for coal enrichment processes was used for the first time in municipal waste management. The installation allows for the recovery of between 71.1 and 96.6% of mineral fractions contained in the input (84.8 ± 9.5% on average). The proportion of organics, plastics and other impurities in the waste is 4.1 ± 2.1% of the fraction mass. The process consumed water at an average rate of 0.34 ± 0.10 m3 tonnes−1 of treated waste and generated 0.26 ± 0.09 m3 tonnes−1 of wastewater. Electricity consumption averaged 1.20 kWh tonne−1 input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipal waste management in Poland has continuously changed over the past years regarding collection systems and disposal processes. After joining the EU, the approach to waste management changed dramatically, intensifying selective collection and implementing recovery and treatment processes. Recent years have shown that a further fundamental overhaul in the waste sector is needed to convert the sector to a closed-loop economy. These challenges are appearing in Poland, forcing actions in which the efficiency of the waste stream management system should generate added value in the form of sourced raw materials, materials and products. The waste generated should be managed following the waste hierarchy, in which disposal is the least desirable process. The work aims to analyse the current state of municipal waste management in Poland concerning applicable legal requirements, waste management hierarchy and the use of the best available technologies. The data from the analysis was used to determine where Poland is currently, heading towards transforming to a circular economy in the technological, social, environmental and economic areas. The research results showed the need to reduce the waste generated, including a significant reduction in the amount of waste stored in landfills and a significant increase in the recycling rates of municipal waste. In this context, supporting the transition to a closed-loop economy is essential in creating a lowcarbon, recycling and innovative waste management, implementing EU strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of our study was to estimate the amount of waste disposed through the public system of waste collection, as well as the amount collected during clean-up activities in public spaces in Poland. This study has been the first of its kind in Poland. We defined terminology for the public system of waste collection and public spaces. Our analyses were for the year 2021 and focused on diverse research areas. The administrative and landscape standard was used as a criterion for the selection of the units tested in field trials, by means of a questionnaire survey. 46 units were purposefully selected, and two series of surveys were carried out with respect to two research areas. During the qualitative assessment of our information sources to assess their suitability for the development of the methodology, it was necessary to apply methodological verifiers relating to mass, persons, area, and statistics. The verifiers took into account all variables influencing the quantities of waste considered in the study. The results obtained showed the lack of separate records in the municipal register for the waste assessed under the study. It was found that nearly 85% of the waste collected in the public systems of waste collection and litter in public spaces were registered as mixed (unsorted) municipal waste (Code 20 03 01) [Regulation... 2020]. It was noted that 20% of municipal waste generated outside households was left behind as litter in public spaces and posed environmental risks. For this reason, among others, it was necessary to estimate the amount of this type of waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Research Papers of the Wroclaw University of Economics / Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego we Wroclawiu is the property of Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny we Wroclawiu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Economics & Environment / Ekonomia i Środowisko is the property of Fundacja Ekonomistow Srodowiska i Zasobow Naturalnych and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Groundwater quality assessment for pollution can be undertaken with the use of indicators that will confirm or deny the negative impact of potential pollution sources. Based on water quality monitoring data from the Lipówka I and Lipówka II municipal landfill sites in Dąbrowa Górnicza from the last five years, the water quality in the area was assessed using the Nemerow Pollution Index (NPI) method. Seven parameters were assessed – pH, electrical conductivity, and the concentrations of chlorides, sulphates, ammonium ions, boron and iron. The limits for class III water quality were used as the reference level. The results of the NPI calculations show that the highest indices were obtained for the piezometers PZ5 and T5 located in the outflow of the water from the Lipówka I landfill site. The highest values of the Nemerow index were obtained for ammonium ions and reached a value of over 36 in the PZ5 piezometer and 17 in the T5 piezometer. The other parameters did not indicate a significant impact of the landfill sites on the quality of groundwater. The highest values of the indicators were observed in 2017. It is worth noting that, apart from the large differences in the content of ammonium ions, the values of the Nemerow indices for the electrical conductivity specifically for the PZ5 piezometer are twice as high as for the other piezometers and four times higher than for boron. The Nemerow index is a useful and easy method of assessing the quality of groundwater. It can even be used for a small number of parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cemetery waste (CW) constitutes one of the streams of municipal waste (MW). Based on the available data, it can be said that it accounts for about 1% of the mass of MW being generated in Poland. CW management should be carried out selectively. It is estimated that the level of CW selective collection is lower than the average level achieved for MW. This paper presents some solutions concerning the selective collection of CW implemented in selected municipal and denominational cemeteries in Poland. Based on research conducted, the levels of proper separation of glass and biodegradable waste in containers for their selective collection were determined, accordingly as >85% and >80%. Due to the contamination with paraffin residues, the purity of the selectively collected plastic fraction was lower than 20%. The human factor was recognized as the most significant determining efficiency of the selective collection of CW. Therefore, further education of society, as well as promoting good practices in the field of CW management, should be regarded as desirable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Prawne Problemy Górnictwa i Ochrony Środowiska is the property of Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Slaskiego and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae is the property of Uniwerystet Kardynala Stefana Wyznskiege w Warzawie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper aims to determine the most significant physicochemical indicators of the effects that a lined landfill in southern Poland has had on groundwater quality. The results of the tests of groundwater and leachate water from the landfill for the period 2009 to 2016 were subjected to a detailed statistical analysis based on the 10 physicochemical parameters. A factor analysis was conducted considering the European Union and national requirements for landfills using analytical and statistical tools. The leachate contamination indicators from a landfill were analysed to reveal their interaction with the groundwater. The assessment indicated that there was an elevated and statistically significantly higher electrical conductivity and copper and total organic carbon concentrations in groundwater hydraulically downgradient of the landfill. The assessment also indicated that there were significant differences in the correlations between chemical parameters downgradient of the landfill and that there was a trend of increasing concentrations of some chemical constituents in groundwater. The adverse effects of the landfill were due to the deposited amount of waste exceeding 10 Mg per day. The impact was noticeable despite low and decreasing concentrations of heavy metals (Hg, Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn) in the leachate. The deterioration of the chemical state of the groundwater in the landfill vicinity could result in the extended time of pollutant migration or mass transport in the irrigated soil medium due to the limited efficiency of the leachate intake system or sealing screen after more than 20 years of landfill operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Athenaeum: Polskie Studia Politologiczne is the property of Faculty of Political Science & Security Studies Nicolaus Copernicus University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of a small municipal landfill on the aquatic environment over 9 years, using advanced statistical tools. The results of the study of surface, ground- and leachate waters from 2008 to 2016 were subjected to detailed statistical analysis based on 15 physicochemical indicators. Factor analysis accounted for the requirements of the WHO, the European Union and the nation of Poland using 8 statistical analytical methods. The analysis of leachate contamination from the landfill site with the use of advanced statistical tools revealed its interaction with groundwater. The assessment was based on increased and statistically significant values and correlations of temperature, Zn and N–NO3 between leachate and groundwater, factors demonstrating the negative impact of the landfill. In the case of Zn, there was also a correlation between the tested waters below the landfill. The increased PAH values in the examined surface and ground waters were not a consequence of waste disposal. However, the deterioration of the chemical state of groundwater in the vicinity of the landfill could result from a certain dysfunction of the facility's infrastructure after operating for more than 20 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the changes in spatial distribution of dumping sites in Polish districts over the 2009-2016 in the context of the new waste management policy. The regional patterns of dumping sites were identified using spatial concentration measures (location quotient, spatial Gini) and the spatial interactions were explored with univariate and bivariate Moran's I statistics. This analysis also examined the extent to which spatial interactions took place. The number of legal and illegal (existing and removed) dumping sites was measured per 100 km2 of the total area of districts. Results indicated that spatial concentration of illegal dumping sites increased noticeably in the transition period of the legislation changes (82% of Polish districts contained illegal dumping sites). A considerably strong regional concentration of illegal dumps was observed in rural areas, forests, northern parts of Poland and densely populated districts. Positive global Moran's I statistic proved the presence of clusters of districts with similar levels of dumping sites. The local bivariate spatial analysis investigated the relation between the number of waste sites in one location and the lag factor of dumps in nearby areas. This empirical study provides useful data to the relevant decision makers and local governments for urban planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste management is an important element of sustainable urban development. One of the directions of waste management is mechanical-biological treatment (MBT) of waste with biogas installation. In addition to the benefits of purifying waste from separate collection and sorting of raw material waste from the mixed waste stream (subsequently diverted to recovery or recycling), this direction is also characterised by energy benefits (energy production from biogas). Mechanical and biological treatment of municipal waste inevitably entails also negative impacts, such as odour emission. In Poland, there are no legal regulations concerning odour nuisances. Reference could be made, inter alia, to BAT conclusions on waste treatment or standards in other countries. There are many methods of testing for odour emissions, but none of them, taken individually, characterises it sufficiently. The paper presents the results of research carried out in one of the biogas plants in Poland. The results present the sources of the highest odour emission in the examined plant, to which they belong: digestate during oxygen stabilisation 2° in the open air and pump station of technological sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a quantification of the territorially varied relation between socioeconomic factors and the amount of municipal waste in Polish districts. For this purpose, eight causes were identified: revenue budgets, the number and area of uncontrolled dumping sites, population density, the share of working-age population, average gross monthly wages, registrations for permanent residence, and the number of tourists accommodated. The preliminary data analysis indicated that to understand waste generation in Poland at the local level it is necessary to consider regional specificity and spatial interactions. To increase the explained variability of phenomena, and emphasise local differences in the amount of waste, geographically weighted regression was applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Organization & Management Quarterly / Organizacja i Zarządzanie : Kwartalnik Naukowy is the property of Organization & Management Quarterly and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Waste management is important in the activities of local authorities. Therefore, attention to waste management is reflected in the nature of a commune. The system analysis of chosen waste management is significant due to the need to improve the activities undertaken to achieve the best results. The aim of such a work was a comparative analysis of the efficiency of waste commune systems in two local government units within the Małopolska region of Poland. The subjects of comparative analysis of waste management systems were two selected communes of different sizes located within the same county. The study included the quantity and quality of collected municipal waste and indicators of their accumulation in 2007-10. On the basis of the conducted analysis that the inhabited commune had a larger number of inhabitants and with a larger surface area, the waste disposal was carried out more frequently by a substantial amount of subjects. The commune has also identified significantly more than 3.5 times the average of total waste. In both communities and regardless of the noted differences a growing trend of the quantities selectively waste collected were about 32% lower in the commune with fewer inhabitants, in which waste collection of paper and cardboard generated no result. Generally conducted in both communes, recovery contributed for favorable weight limitations the assembled waste on an average of 30%. Dealt with in the period of waste accumulation indicators begins to differentiated an average increase of 14 kg·person-1·year-1, and 2 Mg·km-2 in favor of more commune. As significant was in the municipality of year 2009, in which it were achieved the highest values of amounts of the collected the and sent to the assembled waste, the highest indicators of waste accumulation, in despite of made note the highest number of inhabitants in the next year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste management is one of the most important problems concerning contemporary civilization. The increase of the number of population and consumerism, cause producing different kinds of waste. Along with the economic progress and the technical progress, humanity became the largest producer of waste in nature. Segregation is still the biggest problem of selective collection of waste. The awareness and the knowledge of people in caring about the natural environment is growing. Unfortunately, many of them are not convinced to sort municipal waste. However, in making a decision about segregation, each of them could be influenced by other factors. The aim of this study was to collect detailed criteria which influence the decision about waste segregation among people not segregating the municipal waste. Then the main criteria were grouped and their influence on the global decision was shown. In this paper a method of the Analytical Hierarchization of the Process was used. Research was conducted among 50 randomly chosen respondents from Poland. The results of the research showed that the financial penalties and the possibility of reducing the payment for sorted municipal waste could increase the amount of people who segregate the municipal waste. Increasing the awareness of reducing the natural resources consuming is not as important criterion as two mentioned before. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Research Papers of the Wroclaw University of Economics / Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego we Wroclawiu is the property of Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny we Wroclawiu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Management (1429-9321) is the property of University of Zielona Gora and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Our work concerns of the determinants that affect the management of municipal waste in sustainable regional development in Poland by analyzing the adequacy of income covering the costs of the new legal environmental waste management systems. We also present the results of research on the impact on local residents and the environment of the largest landfill in Europe, demonstrating a small influence on the life and health of local residents. This impact was much more correlated with smoking. We analyzed the choice of method for calculating charges for waste disposal and discuss the consequences of the introduction of the different options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Waste segregation ‘at source’ has become more and more common in many countries all around the world, including Poland. There is a divergence in the literature about whether householders’ segregation efforts should be included in a cost-benefit analysis of recycling system. Most papers concerning this issue is based on situation of highly developed countries. Some studies ignore the problem assuming that the efforts are balanced by satisfaction of contribution to the sustainability. However, such an assumption seems to be not suitable for reality of post-communist Central European countries, like Poland. This paper provides the view of the problem from the perspective of Polish conditions. On the basis of experimental data, a simple approach to assess the profitability of washing the food packaging waste is presented. The experiments involved over a hundred people with various washing-up habits. The methodology applied allows to avoid controversial assumptions concerning moral aspects of recycling. The best result has been obtained in case of cleaning the glass waste with cold water. In other cases the average washing cost has exceed the market value of recyclable materials. The results point out a need to instruct Polish householders how to treat used food packaging waste. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An attempt was made to estimate the annual production of CH4 at a municipal waste landfill site in Poland. As a matter of fact, the extent of the unorganized emission of CH4 from the landfill surface was approached based on the adopted mathematical model. The Ward agglomeration method for cluster analysis and the Pearson coefficient were employed to evaluate the distance-based similarity measure and to optimize methods for estimating methane emissions from a landfill as well as to verify the input parameters for the model. In order to calculate the content of biodegradable organic parts in the waste, morphological tests of the landfilled waste were performed. Physical quantities, measurements and the actual amount of the landfilled waste as well as the volume of CH4 neutralized in a collective flare were implemented in the model, respectively. The model-based findings and experimental outcome demonstrated stable gas production in the landfill with a high CH4 content. On the other hand, a rather low efficiency of the landfill passive degassing installation indicated the necessity to design and develop its active counterpart with the prospective application of the generated biogas for energy production in a cogeneration system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At most of the installations for the mechanical and biological treatment of waste operated in Poland, the 0–80 mm fraction, separated from the municipal waste stream, are completely stored after biostabilization. Such an action does not fit into the EU strategy focused on circular waste management. The purpose of this study was to assess the technical feasibility of recovering the mineral fractions contained in the compost-like-output (CLO) on a technological line designed for glass recovery. The research started in January 2019, lasted for the next 12 months, and covered 29 measurement series. The following two high-energy fractions were separated from the CLO: 10–35 mm light fraction after separation in the air separator (M-1) and 35–80 mm light fraction after separation in the air separator (M-2). The stabilization processing on the glass recovery line allowed for the recovery of two high energy fractions in the total amount of 24.5% of the processed, and it stabilized the product's mass. In terms of materials, the M-1 and M-2 wastes were a mixture of organic, paper, and plastic materials. Under the Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) classification, according to the European Committee for Standardization, the tested waste fell within the following classes: waste M-1: 4NCV2Cl4Hg and M-2: 4NCV1Cl4Hg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the systems for the mechanical and biological treatment of waste used in Poland send the 0–80 mm fraction separated from the municipal waste stream, after biostabilization, entirely to a landfill. Such action is not in line with the adopted EU strategy focused on waste management in the circular cycle. The purpose of this work was to assess the technical feasibility of recovering the mineral fractions contained in compost-like-output (CLO) on the proprietary technological line designed for glass recovery. The research was launched in January 2019, and lasted for a subsequent 12 months. In the article, the amounts of mineral fractions possible to be separated from CLO are presented, as well as their morphological composition and selected properties being determined. The processing of CLO on the line allowed to recover on average 69.4 ± 7.0% of the glass. This product was accepted by glass recycling plants. Mineral fractions constituting waste from the glass separation process were tested for their use in winter road maintenance. Tests were also carried out confirming the possibility of using selected mineral fractions (0–10 mm) from CLO to obtain a waste cement mix useful for constructing road foundations using a standard amount of cement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The data published by the European Container Glass Federation shows that the EU28 average collection rate for recycling of glass containers has grown to a rate of 76%. However the stabilizer produced at mechanical-biological treatment (MBT) installations at landfills still contains large amounts of recyclable glass. An industrial-scale study has been undertaken in order to assess the possibility of recovering this glass from the stabilizer. A new pilot installation was built at the MBT plant in Marszów, Poland. Tests were conducted on stabilizer samples produced at the plant (13 samples) and others collected from several MBT plants based in Poland (six samples). Processing the stabilizer on the designed line made it possible to recover on average 68.4 ± 7.0% of the glass contained in it from Marszów samples and 58.4 ± 14.2% in the case of samples acquired from other MBT installations. It is demonstrated that the concentrate quality largely depends on the stabilizer's moisture content. A concentrate with glass content from 98.0% to 99.5% was obtained for samples of low-moisture stabilizers (for 14 out of 19 samples). The product was accepted by glass recycling plants due to its low level of contamination with other materials and its appropriate particle size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the consequence of municipal waste deposition is the production of landfill leachate. Its volume and composition is determined by numerous factors, including waste composition, landfill age and the volume of precipitation. Leachate may contain a number of mineral and organic compounds, the volume of which must be controlled regularly. One of the methods of determining the toxicity of substances contained in landfill leachate is the use of biological tests, based - among others - on aquatic organisms sensitive to environmental contamination. The purpose of this study was to analyse the possibility of using ecotoxicological tests (supplementing the physical and chemical tests) for the purpose of assessment of landfill leachate toxicity. The tests were conducted at an operating municipal landfill in Stary Sącz (southern Małopolska Region, Poland N: 49°55'33"76, E: 20°65'68'70) from December 2015 to October 2016. The scope of the tests included the analysis of physical and chemical indicators as part of the landfill monitoring process, and also the analysis of additional selected indicators: namely the boron, barium and vanadium content. The selected ecotoxicological tests included tests using Daphnia magna Straus (Cladocera, Crustacea). Leachate tests conducted with the use of physical and chemical indicators have, for nearly twenty years, mainly demonstrated changes related to the age of the used landfill; besides increased boron and barium values, no evident contamination has been found, excluding the case of boron. However, a statistically significant correlation between the B and Ba contents and the amount of precipitation was determined. In two cases, the used biological tests have confirmed the toxicity of the leachate: in January and June 2016. In the same months, the highest and abnormal boron contents were measured, which could cause a toxic effect of leachates., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)