Until now, three bins were available: blue, green and yellow, but from 1 July an additional brown container for biodegradable waste will appear. This expanded segregation system will facilitate recycling, which drives the country’s economy. We therefore remind you of the general rules for disposing of waste.
- Green bin – glass should be placed in it; from July, glass can also be divided into clear and coloured glass. In addition, all containers made of glass should go into the green bag, such as jars, glass food packaging and cosmetic containers. However, bulbs, headlamps, mirrors and window panes, as well as eyeglass lenses, MUST NOT be placed there.
- Blue bin – it is used for paper, including notebooks, cardboard packaging, newspapers, magazines, leaflets and office paper. Paper towels, used tissues, varnished paper, beverage cartons and bags for construction materials MUST NOT be placed in the blue bag.
- Yellow bin – its purpose is to collect metals and plastics, primarily plastic bottles, caps and plastic bags. Bottles and milk or beverage cartons should first be emptied and then crushed. Packaging for cleaning products, food cans and aluminium foil should also be placed in the yellow bin. However, packaging from medicines, used batteries and paint or varnish cans MUST NOT be placed there.
- Brown bin – this is a new container marked BIO. It should contain vegetable and fruit waste, food scraps, tree branches, cut grass, raked leaves, sawdust and tree bark. Soil and stones, coal ash, animal excrement and impregnated wood should NOT be placed there.
None of the bins listed above may contain electronic equipment, accumulators, batteries or waste from highly chemical products, as these items are considered hazardous and should be taken to special collection points.
The Ministry of the Environment has prepared special graphics that can be downloaded from naszesmieci.mos.gov.pl; they will help with segregation and provide the necessary information.
Many everyday products made of paper, metals, plastic or glass can be recycled, allowing them to become valuable goods once again. It is estimated that each person throws away an average of 56 glass containers per year that could be processed again. On a global scale, for example, the PET bottles collected in one year and placed one on top of another would form a tower measuring 28 million km!
Statistics for paper processing are similarly unoptimistic. It is worth remembering that 100 kg of our notebooks, cardboard and old newspapers equals two medium-sized trees. In addition, one tree can produce enough oxygen to sustain up to 10 people.
Recycling and waste segregation are therefore important issues for the national economy, and the changes introduced from 1 July 2017 are intended to facilitate environmental protection and prevent our planet from becoming littered.
More information about the collection of rubble, waste and rubbish can be found here: https://www.eko-logis.pl/legnica/