Assessment of waste amounts collected through the public system of waste collection and during clean-up activities in public spaces in Poland
, , y | 31 dic 2022
Publicado en línea: 31 dic 2022
Páginas: 11 - 18
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/oszn-2022-0014
Palabras clave
© 2022 Beata Waszczyłko-Miłkowska et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.
Along with an increase in ecological awareness, citizens have felt an increased sense of responsibility for the state of the natural environment. One of the most important aspects of environmental protection from the perspective of each household is a properly functioning municipal waste management system. In the case of Poland, a projected increase in the amount of municipal waste generated in the coming years is the result of substantial economic growth [Draft Resolution... 2022]. Therefore, it is even more important to properly define problems and challenges related to waste management.
Over the last few years, studies have been carried out relating to the functioning of the municipal waste management system. Research results and expert opinions have largely considered the amount of waste generated, its morphological composition, as well as treatment methods for collected municipal waste, to be received mainly from households. Numerous measures have been taken to manage waste properly, and it can be assumed that this is a known and controlled process. Yet, it should be noted that the municipal waste classification in Poland also includes waste from the public systems of waste collection and the waste collected during clean-ups in public spaces (abandoned waste). Abandoned waste in public spaces is defined as litter, or small pieces of rubbish that have been left lying on the ground in public places [Cambridge Dictionary]. As abandoned waste is not subject to separate records, there is no available data on its quantity and its categorization. Abandoned waste constitutes a real, direct element of pollution of the environment. So far, no studies or analyses have been carried out to define the issue of abandoned waste in municipal public spaces, hence, it is not possible to estimate the full scale of the problem and draw appropriate conclusions.
This article presents the attempt to estimate the amount of waste collected in the public systems of waste collection, as well as that of waste abandoned in public spaces, produced annually. This study has been the first of its kind in Poland. It was carried out at a national level, and it concerned a diverse research area, which accounts for the high representativeness of the results obtained. These results can make it possible to answer yet-unsolved issues related to waste, especially waste abandoned in public spaces. The study results (those concerning the tested waste stream share and most frequent waste types), as well as the conclusions drawn, could be broadly applied in waste management, especially following the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the education of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment [Directive... 2019]. A considerable portion of the examined waste mass (collected through public systems of waste collection and during clean-ups of public spaces) is associated with this Directive [Directive... 2019]. It should be emphasized that this study, the first of this kind to be carried out on such a scale, directs attention to the as-yet underestimated subject of municipal waste generated in the (broadly defined) public space.
In order to estimate the amount of waste collected in public systems (Wcol) and the amount abandoned in public spaces (Wab) in Poland, it was first necessary to define what is meant by public systems and spaces. This study uses the definition of the term ‘public’1 based on that stated in the Polish Language Dictionary [SJP PWN 2022a]. Public collection systems (PCS) were defined as waste bins located at public transport stops, along pavements and alleys in the city centre, and next to squares or government offices. Public spaces (PS) were defined as areas of land in administrative and landscape units, e.g. lawns in a park or at a public transport stop, sidewalks, forest floor, beach sands, and so on.
Under the framework of the present study, we carried out several analyses, including field and laboratory tests, as well as a questionnaire survey of selected units.
Administrative and landscape standards were used to determine units for field tests. The first criterion, selection of the location, was developed based on the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS), a hierarchical classification of administrative areas used across the European Union (EU) for statistical purposes. NUTS was established to collect, compile, and disseminate comparable data for certain regional statistics and to shape regional policies [Regulation... 2003]. The division of locations is shown in Figure 1. This classification is essential for analysing the degree of socio-economic development of regions. This study used the NUTS 1 division, which has been in force in Poland since 1 January 2018, which contains 7 units in the form of macro-regions grouping provinces (voivodships). For each NUTS 1 administrative area, we selected 3 administrative units of the third (III) degree, taking into account the types of municipalities and population numbers, which were divided into:
an urban municipality, i.e. a city with more than 50,000 inhabitants, a so-called large city (CL); a rural-urban municipality, i.e. a city with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants, a so-called small city (CS); a rural municipality, i.e. a village (V).
Figure 1.
Geographical location of units tested in field trials.
Landscape standards were assumed based on the definition of a ‘landscape’2 [SJP PWN 2022b]. The survey was conducted in:
14 Forest Districts managed by the State Forests (2 per each NUTS 1 administrative area), 7 parks located in large cities, 4 Baltic Sea beaches.
The selection of landscape locations was done in a purposeful manner based on current knowledge ensuring the representativeness of the sample. In this study, the selected elements in the administrative and landscape standards were defined as administrative and landscape units, respectively.
The geographical location of all units is shown in Figure 1. For each unit, the field tests were conducted in the two determined study areas: the public system of waste collection (PCS) and waste collection in public spaces (PS). For each study area, 6 point (waste bins) and area (site) sampling locations for Wcol and Wab were selected. All waste from designated areas and points was collected. These surveys were carried out twice (2 series) during the period of June to September 2022. Collections were carried out by persons appointed by the surveyed units. The samples collected, either by manually picking up the waste (Wab) or by pouring the waste from the waste bin into the bag (Wcol), were placed in labelled bags. Waste collection was usually carried out in the morning or other appropriate hours, ensuring a representative amount of waste in the bins, before being removed by the cleaning services. The labels enabled the location and study area to be identified in the consequential survey and analytical process. A sample taken in a specific unit, in one study area, was treated as a unit sample. Samples taken from several bins in a given area/location were combined and treated as a unit sample. A total of 184 unit samples were taken from 46 units.
Each unit sample was tested under laboratory conditions to determine morphological structure of Wcol and Wab materials, as well as their specific gravity and mass. Descriptive statistics parameters for the level and variability within each sample, such as the sum, mean, standard deviation, confidence interval, and coefficient of variation were determined.
The units covered with field examinations were surveyed for information as follows: waste amounts in PCS and PS; Wcol and Wab types (in terms of waste codes); population; the frequency of emptying waste bins and public space cleanups; the number of waste bins; and the area available for visitors to the parks [Regulation... 2020]. The data provided by the units was further analysed in detail under the study framework.
A qualitative assessment of the information sources was carried out in terms of their suitability for developing the methodology for calculating the amount of Wcol and Wab. For this purpose, waste management indicators were used. In order to analyse the indicator values, it was necessary to verify the indicators in terms of availability and rationality of all the variables affecting the quantities of waste examined in the present study.
For this purpose, the following methodological verifiers were used:
mass methodical verifier (MV); human methodical verifier (HV); area methodical verifier (AV); statistical methodical verifier (SV).
Based on the methodological verifiers we developed, we estimated the amounts of Wcol and Wab in Poland for the year 2021. The developed questionnaires included a detailed scrutiny of the types of waste collected in PCS and PS. It was found that 84.5% of Wcol and Wab was recorded under the code 20 03 01 (Unsorted [mixed] municipal waste), 7.7% under 20 01 99 (Other fractions collected in a selective way), 4.6% under 15 01 06 (Mixed packaging waste), and 3.2% under 20 03 03 (Street/square-cleaning residues) [Regulation... 2020].
For the purpose of MV calculation, we determined mass shares of Wcol and Wab from each examined unit out of the total waste of the same type generated by these units in 2021. An average share was calculated and compared with the amount of waste generated in Poland in the municipal system (as specified by the Act of 13 September 1996 on Maintaining Cleanliness and Order in Municipalities) [Act... 1996]. The annual amounts of waste abandoned in PS and collected in PCS in the landscape units were also considered to be a verifier.
MV calculations were carried out as follows:
Based on the declarations in the questionnaires, there were assumed annual amounts of waste collected in PCS and PS in the administrative units. The average Wcol share in municipal waste generated in 2021 was 1.81%, or 251.3 thousand Mg, and that of Wab was 0.36%, or 49.9 thousand Mg. We calculated the average Wcol and Wab shares of waste collected on sea beaches (1.38% and 0.34%, respectively). Under the study framework, 55 coastal municipalities were identified to be consistent with Eurostat methodology [GUS...2021]. Data on the amounts of waste types generated in the coastal municipalities was obtained from the The annual Wcol and Wab amounts in the Forest Districts under the study were calculated based on data from two sources of information: the survey results and data obtained directly from the General Annual amounts of Wab for landscape units not included in the field survey were obtained from publicly available information sources.
The first source for data on the amount of waste in Polish forests is official information from the authorities responsible for forest management. We noted that several examined Forest Districts were located in the administrative area of two or more municipalities. In these cases, there was no information available on waste management reporting by the Forest District to specific municipalities, which made it impossible to calculate the mass share of Wcol and Wab due to the lack of reliable data. In 2021, there were 90.7 thousand m3 of Wab collected in the State Forests. The laboratory tests performed during our research showed the specific gravity weight density of the waste abandoned in the forests was 0.071 Mg/m3, which after conversion constitutes a mass of 6.4 thousand Mg of Wab.
The results of surveys carried out in 14 out of the 430 Forest Districts in Poland constituted our second source of data. Based on the average annual amount of waste collected from the 14 Forest Districts (4.98 Mg/district for Wab and 6.62 Mg/district for Wcol), we determined the total annual waste amount. By count, the total annual waste amount based on survey data in all Forest Districts was 2.8 thousand Mg of Wab and 6.4 thousand Mg of Wcol.
By adding the data from both sources, we estimated that in 2021, for all the Forest Districts in Poland, the amount of Wcol was 2.1 thousand Mg, and the amount of Wab was 9.2 thousand Mg.
The available data analysis revealed a high degree of pollution in the Baltic Sea by plastic waste, mostly single-use items related to food and beverage consumption, smoking, or industrial packaging [Helcom 2021]. Marine bins, which are capable of removing 1.4 Mg of waste from sea waters annually, have been installed [MARE Foundation 2020]. In the present study, we assumed that 0.0014 thousand Mg of Wab were present in the sea.
In the first three-quarters of 2020, more than 60 Mg of garbage was collected from Poland’s rivers and water reservoirs [Wody Polskie 2020], with active participation from the employees of State Water Holding Polish Waters (Wody Polskie), the national and local administration, NGOs, and volunteers. For this study, we assumed that approximately 0.09 thousand Mg of Wab was collected annually from rivers and other surface waters.
Between 2012 and 2022, 7.1 Mg of Wab was collected in the Polish Tatras on 69 publicly accessible mountain trails (with an average of 0.6 Mg of waste) [Czyste Tatry 2022]. In total, there are 46 mountain ranges in the country. In this study, we assumed that the estimated amount of waste abandoned in public spaces in the mountains was 0.03 thousand Mg/year.
For the purpose of this study, Av was defined as the mass of waste per unit area (Mg/ha) and was used in calculations for Wcol and Wab in the landscape unit (urban parks). This verifier was calculated based on the mass of waste generated in 2021 with the use of data from the questionnaire survey.
With the aim of calculating the amount of Wcol in Poland’s parks in 2021, we attempted to estimate the number of waste bins in the parks and the amount of waste per 1 bin/park. The analysis of the questionnaire results showed an average of 16.75 bins/1 ha of park area. In Poland, the total area of parks and other green spaces adds up to 36,987.28 ha [BDL GUS 2021a]. The results of our own analysis showed that the share of park area available to visitors was 93.3%, which represents 34,524.22 ha of the total park area in Poland. On this basis, we assumed that in all parks in Poland, there were approx. 578,345 waste bins. Data provided by the surveyed units allowed us to estimate of the average amount of waste collected from 1 bin to be 0.375 Mg/year. The amount of Wcol in all Poland’s parks was estimated to be 217.1 thousand Mg/year.
The calculations including Wab were based on waste amount/per park area. AV was calculated based on the amount of Wab in 2021 as provided in the survey questionnaires acquired, which allowed us to calculate an average of 1.4 Mg of abandoned waste/1 park ha. The annual amount of abandoned waste in PS was estimated to be 49.4 thousand Mg.
HV was calculated with the use of the indicators of generation of waste (kg/person) in 2021, in the unit under field examination. The term “person” refers to the municipality resident, tourist, visitor to the park. In order to determine HV, the following waste generation rates (kg/person) for Wcol and Wab were estimated for the following groups.
For residents of the administrative units covered by the field survey The number of residents was determined using data from the questionnaire survey. The obtained data on population numbers were derived from the municipality registers [Act... 2010]. The calculated average generation rates for Wcol and Wab were 8.48 kg/person and 0.97 kg/person, respectively. These values were used for calculations extending to the population of the country [Draft Resolution on KPGO2028... 2022]. In conclusion, it was estimated that in the year 2021, the amounts of Wcol and Wab were 324.4 thousand Mg and 36.9 thousand Mg, respectively. For visitors to urban parks The analysis of available literature data revealed the lack of studies and records on the number of visitors to urban parks. Among other factors, park proximity is associated with park use [Durecka 2017]. The subject literature shows that the closer a person’s residence is located to a park, the more likely they are to visit it. In the present study, we assumed that urban parks were visited by persons living within 200 m from the park boundaries. In order to estimate the number of people visiting these landscape units, an analysis was carried out using data on the location and parameters of residential buildings as well as city populations. Information on buildings was obtained from the Database of Topographic Objects (BDOT10k), provided by the Head Office of Geodesy and Cartography (GUGiK). Population data was taken from the Local Data Bank of the Central Statistical Office [BDL GUS 2021b]. As part of the analysis, the number of city residents was assigned to residential buildings in proportion to the size of the building area (the area of all above-ground floors). The number of residents in the urban park vicinity was then estimated according to the assumed distance buffer. On this basis, HV was calculated for Wcol and Wab in the parks examined in the field trials. The calculations showed a rate of 11 kg/person for Wcol and 4.2 kg/person for Wab. In order to estimate the annual amounts of Wcol and Wab in all urban parks in Poland, it was assumed that the parks were visited by approximately 22.4% of Poland’s population, i.e. 8,564,640 people annually [Korwel-Lejkowska, Topa 2017], [Szymański 2018]. For this number of people, the calculated generation rate of Wcol and Wab in 2021 showed that the value of Wcol (94.3 thousand Mg) was 2.5 times higher than that for Wab (36.0 thousand Mg). For tourists on the beach The indicator of generation of waste for tourists on sea beaches (kg/person) was calculated based on data of waste amounts reported in a questionnaire survey and the number of tourists visiting the surveyed units. Data on the number of tourists in each examined coastal municipality was obtained directly from the Centre for Sport and Tourism Statistics (subordinated to Statistics Poland [GUS]). The calculated average value was 0.3 kg/person and 0.1 kg/person for Wcol and Wab, respectively. In order to estimate the amount of waste in 2021, we assumed that the number of tourists using accommodation establishments (with 10 or more beds) in the examined coastal municipalities was 3,967,546. The analysis of available information showed no records regarding tourists using sea beaches. The calculated HV value for the sea beaches is the mathematical product of the Wcol and Wab indicator on waste generation for nearly 4 million tourists in the coastal municipalities in 2021, turning out to be 1.2 and 0.4 thousand Mg for Wcol and Wab, respectively.
Inferential statistics were performed using the results of laboratory tests and surveys. The results on descriptive statistics were obtained separately based on our two survey series, and then jointly averaged for each location. The analysis of data provided in the questionnaires showed that in all of the examined units, the collection of waste from bins through the public system of waste collection and public space clean-ups were performed on a regular basis (frequently). Hence, it was assumed that there were no significant differences between the two survey series, which was confirmed by the correlation for the mean sample weight and mean share in each unit and study area. SV calculations were carried out for the following areas.
Administrative units Based on the mass of the samples collected in the PSC and PS for each examined unit, we estimated the amounts of Wcol and Wab/point location (waste bin) and area location (site). The resulting value was multiplied by the number of bin-emptying and public space cleaning events per week, and then scaled for the whole year, assuming 52 weeks in a year. Dividing the result by the number of residents given in the questionnaires, we obtained the amount of Wcol and Wab generated per resident. The result was averaged and related to the number of residents in a large city (CL), small city (CS), and village (V). In 2021, the estimated amount of Wcol was 208.7 thousand Mg, and that of Wab was 51.4 thousand Mg. Baltic Sea beaches The calculations assumed a seasonality of waste generation in PSC and PS of 12 weeks per year and a beach area of 20 km2. To estimate Wab, the mass of each sample taken from PS was divided by the area under the study. The average of 4.3 g/m2 was used in calculations for the total area of the studied beaches. The amount of Wcol was 1.0 thousand Mg. To estimate the amount of Wcol, the quantity of waste per point location (waste bin) was calculated. The resulting value was multiplied by the frequency of emptying the bins per week and the number of bins. The average for Wcol was 106.82 (g/m2) per week. Because of the lack of information on the exact size of the beaches, the collection from the bins was assumed to be proportional to the area of the site and was based on the number of bins in the units that were declared in the surveys. The calculated average for waste from the bins was 20.23 g/m2, thus, for the assumed 20 km2 of beaches in Poland and 3-month tourist season (12 weeks), the estimated amount of Wcol was 4.9 thousand Mg. Urban parks We assumed a 20-week seasonality of waste generation in both study areas (PCS and PS). The average mass of Wcol and Wab from each point and area location was multiplied by the frequency of waste collection and waste cleaning per week in relation to the assumed season length. Based on the number of bins obtained from the survey analysis and the park areas, we assessed that per 1 ha, there were on average 8.14 waste bins. Based on the area of parks in Poland, it was estimated that the amount of Wcol was 234.3 thousand Mg, and that of Wab was 67.0 thousand Mg.
This article’s key objective was to provide an estimation for the amount of waste collected in the public systems of waste collection and the amount of waste abandoned in public spaces. Because this type of waste is not subject to separate records and there is no available data on its quantity and its categorization, it was necessary to take steps to present estimates based on available data and field studies. Table 1 summarises Wcol and Wab amounts calculated in relation to the adopted methodological verifiers for each administrative and landscape unit.
Quantities of Wcol and Wab in administrative and landscape units in 2021 by methodological verifier types (thousand Mg)
| Unit | Mass verifier | Area verifier | Human verifier | Statistical verifier | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [thousand Mg] | ||||||||
| Wcol | Wab | Wcol | Wab | Wcol | Wab | Wcol | Wab | |
| CL, CS, V | 251.3 | 49.9 | - | - | 324.4 | 36.9 | - | - |
| - | - | - | - | 208.7 | 51.4 | |||
| Baltic Sea beaches | 5.0 | 1.2 | - | - | 1.2 | 0.4 | 4.9 | 1.0 |
| Poland’s forests | 2.1 | 9.2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Urban parks | - | - | 217.1 | 49.4 | 94.3 | 36.0 | 234.3 | 67.0 |
| Baltic Sea | - | 0.0014 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Poland’s inland waters | - | 0.09 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Poland’s mountains | - | 0.03 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Based on the data presented in Table 1, three mass variants for Wcol and Wab were adopted: low (VL), medium (VM) and high (WH). VL includes the lowest amounts of Wcol and Wab calculated for specific methodological verifiers, VM includes average amounts, and WH includes the highest amounts. Table 2 summarizes the types of methodological verifiers used in individual mass variants Wcol and Wab for each unit type under the study.
Methodological verifiers adopted in Wcol and Wab mass variants for the administrative and landscape units in 2021
| Unit | Low variant | Medium variant | High variant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Methodological verifiers | |||
| Administrative units | |||
| CL, CS, V | SV | MV | HV |
| Landscape units | |||
| Baltic Sea beaches | HV | SV | MV |
| Poland’s forests | MV | MV | MV |
| Urban parks | HV | AV | SV |
| Baltic Sea | MV | MV | MV |
| Poland’s inland waters | MV | MV | MV |
| Poland’s mountains | MV | MV | MV |
Figure 1 shows the amounts of Wcol and Wab calculated using the methodological verifiers in the 3 mass variants. The obtained results showed that in the adopted mass variants, the amount of Wcol ranged from 306.3 to 565.8 thousand Mg, whereas the amount of Wab ranged from 97.1 to 114.4 thousand Mg.
Figure 1.
Wcol and Wab by mass variants in 2021 (thousand Mg)
A statistical function in the form of an average of the 3 mass variants was used to estimate the amount of annual waste collected in the public system of waste collection and during clean-ups of public spaces. This function was based on checking the central tendency, i.e. the location of the centre of a set of numerical data in a statistical distribution. It was estimated that the annual amount of Wcol was 449.2 thousand Mg and that of Wab was 107.1 thousand Mg. Based on available sources, including [Draft Resolution on KPGO2028... 2022], the total estimated amount of municipal waste generated in Poland in 2021 was approximately 13,500 thousand Mg. This means that the combined share of Wcol and Wab in municipal waste in 2021 was about 4%, and a considerable portion of over 3% was represented by waste collected in the public systems of waste collection.
This study has been the first to attempt to estimate the amount of waste collected under the public systems of waste collection and the amount abandoned in public spaces. Our surveying covered a diverse area in order to reliably map public places relevant to municipal waste. The use of a variety of methodological verifiers allowed for a multifaceted approach to the examined issue and allowed us to estimate the results as accurately as possible. As the results show the amount of waste collected in public systems and that abandoned in public spaces was 448.97 thousand Mg and 107.03 thousand Mg, respectively, this means that their annual amount is 1.5 times greater than the amount of all waste generated by all coastal municipalities in 2021. Taking into account the population of Poland’s population, a statistical inhabitant of Poland annually introduces 12 kg of waste into the public systems of waste collection, and leaves behind 3 kg of waste in spaces not intended for this purpose [NSP 2021]. This means that 20% of municipal waste collected outside households constitutes environmental litter. This study reveals the need for an additional separate register of waste from public spaces. This study is an opening and starting point for further discussion on municipal waste from public spaces in Poland. Further research in this area will develop and enrich the results presented here.