Jarosław Babiasz from Bolesławiec municipality:
Read online: “(…) in early spring, tires gather in secluded places to mate. Quiet squeaks and sounds of friction can be heard only from close by. More unruly specimens, thanks to glands evenly distributed across the entire surface of their rubbery bodies, emit the smell of burnt rubber. This attracts more of them, and even those that have long been unable to reproduce because of their advanced moss growth seem to tremble shyly in the forest wilderness. Tires remain locked in a loving embrace until they produce offspring (…). Read by Krystyna Czubówna (from the “Górska Kamiennogórska” post).
But seriously—the situation is becoming tragic. Anyone walking through the forests or along the field tracks in our municipality, and not only ours, can see this. Cans, bottles, plastic bags, construction waste, car dismantling waste and tires lie in ditches and along roadsides. Most of this waste can be handed in free of charge at the Selective Waste Collection Point in Łąka, as we have already reported many times. Non-municipal waste should be taken to specialised collection points, and there is no justification for claiming that the waste fee is too high, that “I already pay a lot anyway,” or “I don’t know where”. In an age of Internet access and buying car parts or construction materials through online services, finding a point that accepts different waste fractions should not be particularly difficult. And the level of the fees is, unfortunately, a sad consequence of the amount of waste and the costs of its disposal.
And he adds:
The same applies to adding rubbish to overflowing containers placed in parks, at bicycle rest areas and public transport stops, as well as to people who fail to clean up after their events held under shelters near Community Centres and in parks. Everyone who cares about our surroundings and looking after them knows the principle that “rubbish is not a natural part of the environment,” along with the familiar rule: “You brought it full—take it back empty—it’s lighter.” This is also a matter of our culture!
This shameless dumping of waste in forests and ditches, or laziness about cleaning up after oneself, translates into concrete figures. Last month, Bolesławiec municipality cleared several illegal dumps. One was in the village of Trzebień, while the others consisted of discarded LPP containers, so-called IBC tanks, filled with an unidentified substance, in the villages of Łaziska and Kozłów. In Trzebień alone, a company working on the municipality’s behalf removed 40 tonnes of waste (mainly automotive and construction waste). The removal cost PLN 79,920 (although the municipal office also received offers to carry out the work for PLN 129,384). Meanwhile, removing three LPP containers dumped by unknown perpetrators, along with the other waste accompanying them, cost the municipality—that is, us taxpayers—PLN 47,520.
Adding the expenses incurred for cleaning roadsides and the cycle path in the municipality, as well as several illegal dumps discovered near Chościszowice, Kraśnik Dolny, Kraśnik Górny and Kruszyn, amounting to PLN 9,700, in the first half of this year the total comes to PLN 127,449! This is an embarrassing financial record for the expenses incurred to remove illegal dumps in 2022. That money could have been used for many other investments in our municipality, but unfortunately cleaning up such “gifts” is becoming a sad necessity—one we all pay for, including through taxes and local fees. And it is only September...
And he appeals:
Let us remember that caring for the common good and our surroundings is in everyone’s interest. At the same time, let us appeal to everyone: if you know, or have information about who is responsible for this kind of environmental destruction, notify the relevant authorities—the police. Under no circumstances would this be informing on someone; it is simply about caring for our own surroundings and, above all, our own money. Let us condemn the perpetrators, not those who are left with the duty of cleaning up after them—the landowners, the local government and us taxpayers.
And he concludes: — Although we have written about this several times, let us repeat once more a quotation from Mrs Thatcher: “We do not want a society in which the state is responsible for everything and no one is responsible for the state.” Let us replace the word “state” with “municipality.” The environment is our common good; let us ensure that we pass it on to our descendants in the best possible condition.