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Description
Waste management is one of the key challenges for environmental protection in Poland. In the current legal state it is the municipalities that are responsible for organising this process. The aim of our project is to find out the actual state of municipal waste management in selected municipalities and to support the development of solutions to the diagnosed problems. In cooperation with volunteers, we will carry out citizen monitoring of municipal waste management in 9 municipalities. We will support the selected 4 municipalities in developing adequate waste management systems, using the knowledge and long-term experience of our experts in this field. The process of developing solutions will involve residents (through extractive workshops) and other local stakeholder groups, who will participate in local roundtables. The solutions worked out with the participation of various groups have a chance to improve the condition of the local municipal waste management.A collective report presenting system recommendations will also be created, which will be presented to the public (e.g. through the organisation of a summary conference). We will organise a webinar for NGOs and activists to present the developed model of action and the experience gained. The activities will be accompanied by a multi-channel information campaign.
Summary of project results
The project was a response to the challenges related to municipal waste management in municipalities. In the Polish system, the main burden of managing this process rests with municipalities. Many of them struggle with very significant problems in this area, in the organizational and investment sphere, as well as in the attitudes of residents who do not comply with the rules of waste segregation or abandon waste in unauthorized places. The project was intended to support municipalities in improving their waste management systems, as well as to mobilize residents to become more involved in the issues of reducing the amount and segregation of waste.
As part of the project, we covered 4 communes in the cooperation program, to which we provided special support based on diagnostic work and development of recommendations by our experts, as well as ongoing tutoring. Our support allowed municipalities to save significant amounts of money (PLN 1.5 million) on fines that, in the absence of the support of our experts, local governments would have incurred for failure to achieve recycling levels. In the communes we cooperate with, we conducted 4 mining workshops with residents, as well as an online survey on waste management, which involved a total of 687 residents of 6 towns (Bisztynek, Chojnów, Ełk, Morawica, Szczecin, Złotoryja). Additionally, in the towns we cooperate with (Bisztynek and Chojnów), we organized two educational picnics, attended by a total of 350 people. We started cooperation with 15 volunteers, trained them in waste management and involved them in local monitoring activities. We have prepared a total of 9 detailed reports on local monitoring and waste management research, including 4 reports from the ISP Team containing strategies for improving waste management. We supported 2 municipalities in developing detailed action plans in the area of waste management. We also prepared one summary report, containing a diagnosis of the state of waste management in Poland and recommendations for the most urgent system changes. The publication was accompanied by graphic (infographics) and multimedia (videos) materials. A number of events were also organized around the project: 4 local round tables, containing presentations and discussions around our local reports, and nationwide online events: a debate, a summary conference and a webinar for activists.
The project produced very positive results on many levels: - engaged a group of volunteers, sensitized them to issues related to waste management and gave them an impulse to get involved in their local communities, - it was an opportunity to deepen knowledge and correct various errors for officials responsible for waste management in the towns we cooperate with - contributed to a more strategic planning of activities in the area of waste management (development of specific action plans by municipalities), - mobilized the inhabitants of 4 towns to become more involved in the field of waste management and provided them with independent information on the state of waste management in their towns and the residents'' opinions on this subject, - mobilized the city authorities to deal with the issue of waste management and develop solutions to the diagnosed problems - allowed municipalities to save a lot of money (PLN 1.5 million) on fines that, in the absence of the support of our experts, local governments would have incurred for failure to achieve recycling levels.
Summary of bilateral results
The presence of a partner from Norway allowed us to gain a more international perspective on the issue of waste management and to draw on good practices from the experiences of other countries, primarily Norway. The partner prepared for us a valuable expert opinion showing Norwegian experiences in the field of municipal waste management, as well as raising awareness of residents in the field of recycling and waste reduction.