One of the most curiosity moments in the disgraceful past of the Pisan TVP Info was the fight about bringing abroad waste to Polish, illegal landfills. In 2023, erstwhile all politicians were up to their necks in campaigning realities, there was a fire of an illegal landfill in Green Mountain, which the Law and Justice Department decided to usage to hit the Platform. In TVP Info, for respective days the strips with inscriptions in the kind of "German garbage Donald Tusk" or "Platforma brought German garbage to Poland" were heated to red.
Import of garbage to Poland – political scandals and facts
Waste from behind Odra was to hit the Vistula in the times of the Po-PSL coalition's rule, which had previously been intended to facilitate the operation of the garbage mafia, and in the Lubuskie Voivodeship was ruled by the PO (it inactive governs). For PiS politicians, the substance was so clear that even the then minister of climate and environment Annie Moscow, who had not previously been known for its peculiar contagion.
"PO-PSL government created an eldorado for garbage in Poland. They changed the law so the garbage mob would feel at home here. This is what the planet has learned: Venezuela, El Salvador, Ghana and Germany. We declared war on the garbage mob!! [...] We have eliminated all illegal practices of their stinking governments" – She wrote Moscow on platform X. Unfortunately, it did not explain how the effects of the "smelling governments" of the PO-PSL were felt only in 2023, since the Law and Justice had already resolved all this.
Of course, the import of waste from another EU countries has been increasing almost continuously since 2004, the minute erstwhile Poland entered the community. besides in the times of the Law and Justice. By data Eurostat, in 2005-2007, the amount of garbage imported to Poland increased by over a 4th – from 612 1000 to 781 1000 tonnes. During the next 8 years, erstwhile Donald Tusk took over, there was a double increase – 1.81 million tonnes of waste from another associate States were imported into Poland in 2015. The next 8 years and the increase in the influx of European garbage over the Vistula River have slowed down. In the period 2015-2023, the quota sent to Poland all year increased by 22% (to 2.2 million tonnes).
For the sake of fairness, however, it is worth noting that this activity began to be restricted only from 2019. A year earlier, there was a highest in the popularity of abroad uncleanness (2.4 million tonnes). Furthermore, after taking over the power, the current coalition did not wash its hands from the subject – in 2024 the amount of imported EU waste decreased to 2.05 million. Last year Anna Moscow's successor Paulina Hennig-Kloska besides reported that 20,000 tons of illegal waste from Germany would return for Oder through an agreement with Berlin.
Exports of waste from Poland – the increasing power on the garbage map of the world
Poland besides receives waste from outside the EU, although in much smaller quantities (in 2024 it was 433,000 tonnes). The fight to bring illegal uncleanness, which then burns on the forest-covered landfills, could give the impression that Poland is simply a garbage mecca, and waste from all over Europe dreams of a comfortable retirement spent close the Lubuskie wineries. However, the fact is that for decades we have been a large waste exporter, both in relations with another EU countries and the remainder of the world. This phenomenon is increasing continuously and the Polish authorities seem to be fine with it.
Last year, exports of waste from the Vistula River one more time breached the barrier of 4 million tonnes, which he first made just before the pandemic, which, however, somewhat inhibited cross-border travel of impurity. Last year Poland deployed 4.1 million tonnes to Europe, twice as much as it imported. In the year of entry into the EU, we have sent even more than 4 times as much garbage as we received, but since then imports have grown faster.
Polish waste exports outside the EU look even more effective. Last year, we broke our historical evidence in this respect, reaching little than 2 million tonnes of exports of waste contamination to countries outside the Union, which is almost 5 times more than was sent the another way. We exported even more waste than Spain, which put 1.8 million tons into the world. Interestingly, Spain, as 1 of the fewer in the EU, has taken a very akin amount of impurity into its territory (1.7 million). The full Union exports little than twice as much garbage as it imports (32 million tonnes of exports and 18 million imports).
Where do Polish garbage go? Turkey, India and Ukraine headed
In terms of the amount of waste exported, Poland is at the top of the EU. Last year it was ranked sixth both in the category of exports outside the EU (in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy) and in another associate States (in Germany, France, Netherlands, Czech Republic and Belgium). 6.3% of waste from the EU to another parts of the planet and almost 7% of waste from associate States are of Polish origin. At the time of Poland's entry into the EU it was 3.1 and over 4 percent, respectively, so Poland is dynamically catching up with the most developed in terms of littering the planet of the Old Continent states. Since 2004, Poland's share of EU waste trade has increased about twice.
More than a 4th of Polish waste exports outside the EU went to Turkey, talking about 551,000 tonnes. As many as 12.3 million tonnes were sent from across the EU to Bosfor, which is more than a third. Turkey has thus become Europe's main landfill. little than 3.5 million tonnes of waste from the EU, including almost 550 000 tonnes from Poland, went to India in second place. Poland stands out in terms of sending garbage over Indus and Ganges, as in Europe only Italy directed more of its waste there (618 1000 tons). A large part besides goes to Ukraine – 372,000 tonnes from all over the EU, including almost 200 1000 tonnes from Poland (first place). In terms of sending uncleanness over Dniepr, we are not equal across the full of Europe, as the second Slovakia has placed 83.5 000 tonnes there.
Inundating developing countries with tons of waste has been a problem for decades. Across the EU, 5 tonnes are produced per head per year. By data Eurostat Poland, together with Germany, was at precisely the EU average. Under it is the majority of EU countries, as the average inflates only a fewer countries. Uncompetitive are the Finns who produce as much as 20 tons of per capita waste per year. More than 15 tonnes per capita are produced by Estonians and Swedes, and the population of Luxembourg and Bulgaria is located around this border. All another countries are already clearly under the boundaries of 10 tons of garbage per head.
Who produces the most waste? Construction, mining and industry
The largest polluters are usually considered manufacture and households. The second are besides regularly instructed how well Select wasteso they can be partially recovered. However, households are a complete margin in the garbage industry. In the EU, by far the largest issuer is construction, which accounts for 38.4% of waste. Inhabitant EU households produce only 9% of EU trash – Polish residents only 8%. However, Poland stands out against Europe, due to the fact that the building is located in the mediate of the list with a score of 12.3 percent, which is 3 times lower than the average. We have mining and mining, which produces 36.5 percent of waste made in Poland. manufacture – little than 15% (EU average is 10%).
The importance of manufacture is besides seen in the structure of the exported waste. Intuition may propose that prim leads plasticIn the meantime, it accounts for little than 9% of EU waste exports. little than 60% of metals are liable for this (more than 19 million tonnes).
This does not mean that waste selection should be abandoned, as this tiny percent translates nominally into large amounts of waste. By data GUS municipal waste in Poland is about 13.5 million tonnes per year (data for 2023), of which more than 4 million go to landfills (other go to recovery, compost or thermal transformation). any of these stored abroad, mainly to Turkey, then India and Ukraine. In time, however, the site will end there and we will gotta look for another willing to receive waste, which will most likely number more, due to the fact that competition will shrink.
Such sweeping under the carpet will yet cost much more than it presently seems. Not to mention that all Turks and Indusi live on 1 planet, so sending millions of tons of waste to countries on another continent means de facto storing them in the next room.
