Polish government adopted draft fee for waste in municipalities

The Polish government has adopted a draft amendment to the act maintaining cleanliness and order in municipalities, allowing individual settlement of residents of multi-unit buildings and introducing a maximum amount of fee for municipal waste management, calculated "on the amount of water used, informed the Government Information Center (CIR).

It is about, among other things, detailing the issues related to the participation in the waste management system of owners of uninhabited real estate, individual settlement of residents of multi-unit buildings or increasing penalties for improper handling of waste (e.g. lack of appropriate permits). In addition, an upper limit of the fee for waste management will be introduced. municipal services, which is calculated on the basis of the method "based on the amount of water used, according to an announcement.

The draft proposes to establish the maximum amount of the fee for municipal waste management, calculated on the basis of the method "based on the amount of water used". It is to be 7.8% of the total disposable income per 1 person per household, i.e. approx. PLN 150.

The main solutions proposed in the project draft:

- The issue of the participation of the owners of uninhabited real estate in the municipal system will be detailed. Within a specified period, they will be able to submit a declaration of exclusion from this system. At the same time, the maximum rate of municipal waste fee for uninhabited real estate will be increased.
- The owners of recreational and holiday real estate will be able to settle the fee for municipal waste, just like the owners of uninhabited real estate, i.e. the container.
- The Minister of Climate and Environment will be able to grant - by way of a decision - derogations for individual municipalities as regards the method of selective collection of municipal waste.
- Individual settlement of residents of multi-unit buildings for the obligation to separately collect waste will be possible.
- Financial penalties for waste management will be introduced for entities that have not obtained the required decisions or the required entry in the register.
- Communes were allowed to pay extra from their own resources to the waste management system. Municipalities will be able to take advantage of this solution in emergency situations, e.g. an increase in prices for waste management (no possibility to cover all costs from fees collected from residents or the need to significantly increase the fees charged).
- Solutions will be introduced that will improve the functioning of municipal waste processing installations (longer storage of waste has been made possible, the time to start the activity covered by the permit has been shortened from two years to a year, the obligation to operate a visual inspection system for the place of storage or storage of waste has been abolished. are not hazardous waste).

In the first instance, communes should ensure preparations for re-use and recycling of selectively collected waste and waste generated in the sorting process. As a result, less waste should go to landfills, which will reduce the costs of the commune related to the management of collected waste, according to the announcement.

The new solutions are to enter into force 14 days after their publication in the Journal of Laws, with the exception of some provisions that will come into force at a different date.

Source: ISBnews