Expired medicines, used batteries or electronics. These are things that definitely do not belong in regular municipal waste. In Poland, this is waste that should be taken to separate waste collection points. Hand on heart. Who does that?

So personally, I definitely don’t throw medicines in the regular waste and I honestly hand them in. I’m sometimes not so consistent with batteries or small electronics. Sometimes I throw a battery in the mixed waste and the electronics sit in my house for years before they are bought and I take them to a collection point. It’s weird. At the same time, it’s no harder than taking away the plastic, glass or cans that accumulate once in a while. It’s just not usually the way to go.

An elegant solution

Local authorities in Poland are aware that many people have a similar situation to mine. In addition, some people may find it difficult to bring their waste to a collection point. This is especially true for the elderly or people with disabilities. However, it can be equally difficult for people without a car to take waste to a designated site. So they were looking for a solution that would make the situation as easy as possible for citizens. One such solution is the introduction of mobile collection points for sorted waste.

In Toruń, they have introduced the innovation

Municipal Waste Management in Toruń has announced the launch of a mobile collection yard. It is a special collection point that will operate in residential areas. The mobile site will be deployed at 20 locations around the city according to a predetermined schedule. Residents will be able to use each site twice a year and the site itself will be open for three hours each time.

Prior to this plan, there were two sorted collection points in Toruń, at Kociewska 35 and Dwernickiego 15. The collection points are open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. People will be able to continue to use these locations.

━━ ( Source: Roberto Sorin /  Unsplash+ )

Mobile centres

“The Mobile Waste Management Centre (MWMC) is a service that residents have been waiting for. We want to make it as easy as possible to manage waste properly. Now, in the case of problematic waste, all you have to do is leave your home and go to a nearby location – the Waste Management Centre will take care of the rest,” explains Marcin Kowallek, Director of the Municipal Services Department in Toruń.

Toruń is not alone

Bydgoszcz will have as many as four permanent places where waste can be taken from this year, and will also set up three mobile collection points in each neighbourhood. On top of that, the city has opened 62 new locations for electronics recycling. The investment in the project is PLN 10 million and is co-financed by EU funds.

According to Deputy Mayor Anna Zofia Mackiewicz, Bydgoszcz is a leader in waste management in Poland. “Thanks to Pronatura, mixed waste is diverted from landfills and we generate electricity and heat from it. Now we are going one step further – we are expanding the PSZOK network and introducing mobile collection points,” she said.