Biznes Fakty
How much waste do Poles produce? Regions with the largest and smallest amounts – report by the Institute of Environmental Protection
Each Pole generates an average of over 370 kilograms of municipal waste annually. The highest waste production is reported by the inhabitants of the Opole region, according to a study by the Institute of Environmental Protection. Their waste output is nearly twice that of the region with the lowest waste generation in the country.
Throughout the year, each individual in the studied communes produced an average of 376 kg of municipal waste – as per the report from the Institute of Environmental Protection – National Research Institute titled „Municipal bio-waste segregated and recycled at source in Poland”.
Regions of Poland with the highest and lowest waste production
The findings reveal that the least waste is generated by residents of Podkarpacie, averaging 250 kg of waste annually.
Conversely, the residents of Opole Province produce 480 kg of waste. Notably, the figure for Opole Province exceeds the average for all provinces by over 100 kg.
The report highlighted that urban communes exhibited the highest per capita rate of municipal waste generation, while rural communes had the lowest rates.
For urban communes, waste generation ranged from 259 kg per capita per year in the Lubuskie province to 525 kg per capita in the Wielkopolskie province. In urban-rural communes, the highest figure was 509 kg per capita in the Opolskie province, while the lowest was 191 kg per capita in the Lublin province. In rural communes, the waste generation rate varied from 191 kg per capita per year in the Podkarpackie province to 499 kg per capita in the Lubuskie province.
Recycling practices in Poland
The Institute of Environmental Protection also indicated that the average kitchen bio-waste sorted and recycled by each resident is about 97 kg per year. The report clarifies that the analysis did not reveal a correlation between the amount of bio-waste produced by an individual and the size of households or the total municipal waste generated.
Furthermore, it was noted that the average green bio-waste generated per square meter of green area in households is 1.92 kg annually. The research indicates that there is no correlation between the volume of green bio-waste segregated and recycled at the source and the area of green spaces within households. Additionally, nationwide averages suggest that the greatest amount of green bio-waste comes from smaller green areas.
„The studies have shown that categorizing municipalities by voivodeships or types does not fully reflect the specific needs and actual recycling levels in each area. Therefore, based on the analysis results, it is advised to implement individual indicators for municipal waste generation in each municipality,” emphasized the IOŚ-PIB publication.
In urban areas, the proportion of bio-waste is higher
The report also noted that urban communes have the highest ratio of bio-waste among the waste generated by residents, nearly 16 percent. For urban-rural communes, this proportion was 15.1 percent, while in rural communes, it was 14.9 percent.
„Regarding provinces (…) the proportion of bio-waste in generated municipal waste varied between 9 and 23 percent. The average share of bio-waste in generated municipal waste ranging from 20-23 percent was observed in the following provinces: Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Wielkopolskie, Lubuskie, and Opolskie. Values between 15-18 percent were recorded in the provinces of Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Mazowieckie, Pomorskie, and Śląskie. In the remaining provinces, the average share of bio-waste in generated municipal waste did not exceed 13 percent,” the report noted.
Overview of the report
The publication detailing the report states that the research was conducted in collaboration with municipalities, external organizations, and individuals across several research cycles. The project titled „Municipal bio-waste segregated and recycled at source in Poland” aimed to gather data for determining the volume of municipal bio-waste that was segregated and recycled at households across various provinces in Poland.
The IOŚ-PIB’s research, in partnership with municipalities, took place from January to December 2024 and included urban and rural areas represented in public statistics.
