On 23 January 2013, councillors adopted a resolution on choosing the method for determining the municipal waste management fee, setting the amount of this fee, and setting container rates in the city of Bolesławiec. The resolution specifies:
- the method for determining the fee charged to property owners for municipal waste management
- the municipal waste management fee, including the fee when waste is collected separately.
The Council chose the method for determining the municipal waste management fee so that, for a property inhabited by residents, the municipal waste management fee is the product of the number of residents living on the property and the fee rate.
The monthly fee charged to property owners for municipal waste management, when waste is not collected and removed separately, was set at PLN 15.00 per person living on the property. The monthly fee charged to property owners for municipal waste management, when waste is collected and removed separately, was set at PLN 11.00 per person living on the property. When municipal waste is collected from properties that are not inhabited by residents but where waste is generated, the fee per container is:
- 110 l capacity – PLN 61.00 per month
- 120 l capacity – PLN 66.00 per month
- 240 l capacity – PLN 131.00 per month
- 1100 l capacity – PLN 605.00 per month.
If municipal waste is collected and removed separately, a lower fee per container applies:
- 110 l capacity – PLN 45.00 per month
- 120 l capacity – PLN 48.00 per month
- 240 l capacity – PLN 96.00 per month
- 1100 l capacity – PLN 445.00 per month.
The resolution is justified by the fact that, pursuant to Article 6k of the Act of 13 September 1996 on Maintaining Cleanliness and Order in Municipalities, the city council, by resolution, chooses one of the methods for determining the municipal waste management fee specified in Article 6j(1) and (2) and sets the rate of that fee. It also sets the fee rate for a container of a specified capacity. When setting municipal waste management fee rates, the city council takes into account: the number of residents living in the municipality, the amount of waste generated within the municipality, and the operating costs of the municipal waste management system referred to in Article 6r(2). Pursuant to Article 6j of the above-mentioned Act, the municipal waste management fee is the product of the fee rate and: the number of residents living on the property, or the amount of water used on the property, or the floor area of the residential premises. It is also permissible to adopt a single municipal waste management fee per household.
Given the choice of the above methods, it was proposed that in Bolesławiec the municipal waste management fee should be the product of the number of residents living on the property and the fee rate. Analyses conducted concluded that this method is a fair and universal way of collecting fees, as well as being consistent with the principle that “the polluter pays”. Under the cited Act, the City Council is required to set lower municipal waste management fee rates when municipal waste is collected and removed separately. Applying lower rates is intended to provide a significant incentive for the separate collection of waste. The Act places an obligation on municipalities to achieve, by 31 December 2020, appropriate recycling and preparation-for-reuse levels for, among other municipal waste fractions, paper, metals, plastics and glass.
(commissioned information)