Ryszard Szpadt

A review of municipal solid waste composition and quantities in Poland.

A review of results of the research involving the quantitative and composition analyses of household waste conducted in Poland in recent years is presented in this paper. For these analyses various methodologies have been employed, as there is not one obligatory methodology how to characterise municipal solid waste. The results of the research in large Polish cities indicate great variability, which is difficult to be reasonably explained. This situation is affected by a number of factors, such as various methods and places for sample collection, various methods for tests, fractional character of most of the studies (studies carried out only in some periods during a year). Consequently, it is neither possible to measurably compare their results, nor to generalise them. Hence, within this article only individual data for large cities is provided. It is therefore necessary to standardise methodology for such analyses in Europe, taking into account local variability (such as different housing patterns, climate and waste collection schemes) to allow comparison of results. Reported yearly household waste generation in Polish cities varies from 238 to 309 kg per inhabitant. Biodegradable waste is a strongly dominated fraction in household waste from Polish cities, followed by paper/cardboard and plastics. Historical data shows that waste composition has undergone profound changes, the most significant being an increase of the share of plastics and decrease of fine fraction. The presented data indicates that waste composition strongly depends on the type of housing and its heating system. In the new multi-family buildings with central heating the share of paper and plastics is higher than in old houses with individual heating. In the latter ones the share of fine fraction is higher.

Monitoring of municipal waste generated in the City of Warsaw

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.

Comparative assessment of waste-to-energy potential in European regions

This paper presents the results of assessment of the current status of waste-to-energy utilisation in five selected regions, which was conducted within the REMOWE (Regional Mobilizing of Sustainable Waste-to-Energy Production) project. The REMOWE project is part of the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 and has been partly-financed by the European Union. The objective of this paper is the evaluation of the current practice with focus on the best practices that can be transferred to other regions. The selected regions are Estonia; Lower Silesia (Poland), Western Lithuania and North Savo Region (Finland) and the County of Vastmanland (Sweden). The current situations in the project regions are presented with regard to the waste generation and treatment and the potential to use waste as RES. The waste types which were identified as relevant for energy recovery include municipal waste, sewage sludge, industrial waste (two streams: one suitable for biogas generation and the other one as alternative fuel for combustion) as well as animal manure. The greatest energy potential show residual municipal waste (68% of the total potential) and animal manure (24%). Energy recovery from these wastes should be a priority in waste management systems of individual regions. Current energy recovery from waste is very low in the considered regions, except for the County of Vastmanland, where app. 68% of the waste to energy potential is utilised. Keywords: waste, renewable energies, sustainability, residues.