Gdynia

In 2001 Gdynia built the (in that time) most modern polish waste treatment and management plant. The plant is used for the waste of almost half a million people of Gdynia, Sopot, Rumia, Reda, Wejherowo, Kosakowo Commune, and communes of Luzino and Szemud.

waste management

The objective was to built a safe and modern treatment plant for waste management in the region, to be able to deal with the waste of about half million of inhabitants.

The project had received funding from the European Union for environment protection of Euro 15,3 million from the pre-accession ISPA fund (Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-Accession).

The plant will consist of a number of interconnected sorting, dismantling, and composting lines. It will be an ecologically safe, modern and complete plant treating and managing refuse. It will also be easy to modify it later. Initially, relatively unsophisticated technical elements, easy to construct and start, and matching the present situation in the cities, will be used. Stage two envisages launching highly advanced technological RDF installations and organic refuse composting facilities. A comparative study of six waste management systems was conducted in 1997 and as a result a MIX programme
was selected. It assumes a comprehensive approach to the introduction of modern municipal waste management combining investment, legislative, and educational efforts. It was first used in 1999 with less than 30 000 people but it is thought that by 2002 it will be cover a population of about 350 000. The parties implementing the MIX programme are aware that construction of the facilities and installations alone willnot make the system work as expected. Therefore they put much emphasis on changing the inhabitants’ behavioural patterns through an intensive information and educational campaign. Most environmental programmes, workshopsand competitions are addressed at children and youth though the good offices of the teachers. In nearly four years 10 000 children and youth have been reached through the educational campaign.

Baltic Cities Environmental Bulletin 2/2001