Adamczyk, Justyna

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Czasopisma Uniwersytetu Opolskiego (E-Journals)

SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENTECONOMIC AND ENYIRONMENTAL STUDIES No. 3 OPOLE 2003Justyna ADAMCZYK, Association of Municipalities “Dolina Redy and Chylonki”, PolandTHE „MIK” WASTE SEPARATION PROJECT ORGANISED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF MUNICIPALITIES „DOLINA REDY I CHYLONKI”1. IntroductionThe Association of Municipalities “Dolina Redy i Chylonki” (KZG) was established by six Pomeranian communities: Gdynia, Reda, Rumia, Wejherowo, Sopot and Kosakowo based on municipal government regu- lation. The names Reda and Chylonka come from the river and the stream that cross the area of the KZG association. The basie aim of KZG is to focus on the public duties of the member communities connected with environmental protection, water supply, sewage disposal and heat supply. In 1990 the authorities of the six communities decided to gather, in order to undertake activity morę effectively and on a larger scalę. The KZG association gathers six communities which cover an area of 85 km2 with over 400 000 people living there (see Table 1).Table 1. The communities belonging to KZGCommunity Amount of inhabitants Area [km2]Gdynia 250,000 (61%) 136Sopot 46,700 (12%) 17Rumia 39,500 (10%) 30Reda 15,000 (4%) 26Wejherowo 48,000 (12%) 26Gmina Kosakowo 4,600 (1%) 50Total 403,800 (100%) 285158 JUSTYNA ADAMCZYKWaste is currently disposed at the existing dumpsite at Łężyce. The main project, which has been conducted sińce 1997 in KZG, is a modern waste management system based on a West - European model. It is called “MIX” - it consists of collecting glass, plastic, paper, green waste and haz- ardous waste. Recycling turns materials that would otherwise become waste into valuable resources and generates a host of environmental, fi- nancial, and social benefits. After collection, materials are separated and sent to facilities that can process them into new materials or products. The program was started on a smali area including one district in Gdynia. In 2001 the project was extended on wider area and included 170,000 inhabi- tants. In this year, 2002, the project is being realised over the whole area of KZG. By exploring public opinion, we found out that 90% of the population is in favour of the project. It is assumed that the dumpsite at Łężyce will be closed in the near futurę and be replaced by a waste treatment plant, in­cluding various measures on reuse and recycling, followed by a modern landfill for the disposal of remaining types of waste. The finał element of waste management in KZG is ZUO (Zakład Utylizacji Odpadów) - ‘Waste Treatment Company”. This company has been responsible for the provision of technical infrastructure and the setting up of the Łężyce II waste site and its management following the completion of the building works. The company co-operates closely with KZG, which is responsible for the collec­tion and transportation of waste. ZUO is mainly fmanced by the EU and Fund for Environmental Protection Foundation in Gdańsk. The “MIX” pro­ject is a practical attempt to realise European directives.2. The strategy of the project, organisational and technical realisation2.1. Selective waste managementIn the KZG area selective waste management is organised using a system of containers. Coloured containers are situated in the city near houses, blocks of flats and schools. The containers are divided into:- Red ones - for plastic, for collecting: PET bottles, foil LDPE, pac- kaging of household goods.- White ones - for paper, for collecting: magazines, books, cardboard etc.- Blue ones - for glass.On each Container Information is provided about what we should put in and what we must not put in. We can also find there the names of waste disposal companies. The containers should be emptied twice a month, or morę freąuently when necessary. The segregated waste col- lected in the city is transported to a simple sorting plant, which is situ-THE „MIX” WASTE SEPARATION PROJECT... 159ated near to the waste dump in Łężyce. After morę precise sorting the raw materials are sold to be reused.Table 2. Number of containers for separate collectionsYearKZG (403 800 inhabitants)Gdynia (250 000 inhabitants)containers199820017241191315474The bag system is only conducted in two districts of Gdynia, in a very smali area of Sopot and in Wejherowo. Each family (who wants to segre- gate) can get free coloured bags for three types of waste. The bag system is analogous to the Container system, due to the colours. The segregated materials are taken once a month on the second Saturday of each month. In exchange for fuli bags people get new ones.Secondary materials management. After separating and cleaning in the sorting plant in Łężyce the secondary mateials are taken by:- Plastic materials:• PET bottles - taken by ELANA - PET from Toruń.• Foil LDPE and packaging of household goods - taken by Trumwirat from Czernin near Koszalin• Screw caps - Plastopak from Wejherowo.- Cullet/broken glass: Krynicki company (delivered to glassworks in Wyszkowo).- Paper is collected in containers of about 35 m3 and taken by Regio- nal Company for Recyclable Materials (Okręgowe Przedsiębiorstwo Su­rowców Wtórnych).Table 3. Number of people involved in the bag systemsCity/district Amount of people involvedGdynia Orłowo 7 200Gdynia Witamino 2 400Gdynia Mały Kack 6 400Sopot 4 190Wejherowo 20 000Total 40 190160 JUSTYNA ADAMCZYK- In the case of huge amounts of paper gathered in Łężyce we cali other firms such as “Złomowiec”.2.2. Hazardous waste - selective collectingHouseholds often discard many common items such as paint, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides, that contain hazardous components. Left over portions of these products are called household hazardous waste (HHW). These products, if mishandled, can be dangerous to health and the environment.Detour system. The detour system is organised in Gdynia, Sopot, Reda and Kosakowo. A special car with containers for hazardous waste travels through the district and takes hazardous waste from inhabi- tants. The car is equipped with a characteristic signal and a sign infor- ming what kind of waste the car takes. This is organised once a ąuarter, always on a Saturday.The inhabitants of Rumia and Wejherowo may bring hazardous waste to a stationary point called PZON (see the stationary system). Of course peo- ple from Gdynia, Sopot, Reda and Kosakowo may also use PZON. If they do not want to wait three months for the special car, they can bring it to the stationary point in Rumia or Wejherowo on their own.The following are among the most common hazardous domestic waste: paint and varnish containers, organie solvents, batteries, accumulators, used oils and out of datę medicines.Stationary system. The stationary system contains three elements:- Medicines are collected in chemisfs shops (85 containers in the whole area of KZG).- Batteries - collected in schools (115 containers - whole area of KZG).- PZON (Punkt Zbiórki Odpadów Niebezpiecznych - ‘Dangerous Waste Selecting Point’). PZON is a huge Container, which contains 10 smaller containers for hazardous waste, such as. one Container is for batteries, one is for oils, one is for paint tins etc. It is important to collect each kind of hazardous waste separately. One person is in charge of it and takes care of security all the time. There are two stationary points (PZON) where people can bring hazardous waste at any time they want. They are organised in Wejherowo and Rumia.All hazardous materials collected are delivered to the firm “Verso” in Gdańsk, where different types of waste are separated for further utilisation.THE „MIX” WASTE SEPARATION PROJECT... 1612.3. Green wasteThis type of waste includes: leaves, grass, branches from private gar- dens or allotments. Collection is organised twice a year: spring (April) and autumn (October). The waste disposal company places containers for green waste in Gdynia, Reda and Rumia. This system is going to be applied on a larger scalę, as it is not sufficient at the moment. Green waste is composted in Łężyce and the compost obtained is used in the reclamation of waste disposal in Łężyce.In the near futurę KZG would like to make modifications of the sy­stem. It is necessary to begin collection of kitchen waste (bio-waste). This is a very complicated issue, and it will take a few years before kitchen waste collection will function properly.2.4. ResultsTable 4. Amount of selected materials collected and delivered to the waste disposal in Łężyce [t]Type of waste 1998 1999 2000 2001Separated waste 339 521 892 1145.2Plastic 60 66 108 138.4Paper 110 193 391.5 582Glass 169 262 393 424.8Table 5. Amount of hazardous waste collected dur- ing 8 months (from April to November 2001)Type of waste Total [kg]Paints, glues, resins 766Solvents 2Insect repellents 52Fluorescent lamps, mercury containing waste 17Batteries 591Accumulators 2 854Medicines 25Used oils 366Packages after aerosols 15Acids 106Adhesives 67Total 4 86111 — Sustainable...162 JUSTYNA ADAMCZYKTable 6. Comparison of the stationary system and detour system in WejherowoType of waste Detour system (November 2000)Stationary system (September 2001 - January 2002)Batteries 92 kg 6 kgAccumulators 35 23Paints 101 kg 20 kgOil packages 1 —Used oil 93 litres —Solvents 12 —Fluorescent lamps 216 7Insect repellents — 4 kgMedicines 10 kg 10 kgChemical reagents 1 —Thermometers 4 —Photographic reagents 10 kg 2 litresThere was a huge discussion of whether the detour or stationary sy­stem is better. KZG had the opportunity to compare these systems in Wejherowo. It seems that the detour system is morę efficient. It also has an educational role. It is better when once a quarter something happens in a district, people notice the car and hear the characteristic signal.2.5. Informative activities and educationIt is very important to provide good information. Therefore we, take great efforts in creating good information. Each inhabitant receives a let- ter and a leaflet about separating waste, a schedule of ours activities and other information. We also contact housing administrators. They help us and place the posters or other information on staircases. Ali the informa­tion is also published in newspapers (three titles) and people can hear about it on the radio. Each year we ask people for their opinions and sug- gestions, which helps us in projecting next year’s activities.The second main activity in KZG is education. Educational projects are organised for children, youth and teachers all year round, including ecological trips, competitions and workshops.3. ConclusionRecycling prevents the emission of many greenhouse gases and water pollutants, saves energy, supplies valuable raw materials to industry,THE „MIX” WASTE SEPARATION PROJECT... 163creates jobs, stimulates the development of greener technologies, con- serves resources for our childrerfs futurę, and reduces the need for new landfills and combustors.The KZG region is seen as one development for which a new and ex- panded waste management system is necessary. In order to satisfy pub- lic health and environmental criteria, there is a need for major invest- ments in the improvement of waste treatment and disposal facilities.However, it will not be easy to change the habits and attitudes of peo- ple, who are often simply indifferent to the link between throwing a plastic bottle or paper packaging onto the pavement and the ąuality of our life in generał.

THE „MIK” WASTE SEPARATION PROJECT ORGANISED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF MUNICIPALITIES „DOLINA REDY I CHYLONKI”

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THE „MIK” WASTE SEPARATION PROJECT ORGANISED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF MUNICIPALITIES „DOLINA REDY I CHYLONKI”

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