The boat can't handle the waste. He wants to build 2 incinerators. Residents fear for their wellness and the future

instytutsprawobywatelskich.pl 1 year ago

According to the latest study by the Institute of civilian Affairs, “Councils for Waste. Monitoring of municipal waste management in Łódź": Veolia Nowa Energia Sp. z o.o. received approval to build a thermal installation for the conversion of municipal waste. This place would be located at EC4 (Electro-CHP No. 4), at J. Andrzejewska 5. Currently, the investor is applying for backing to build ITPOK from the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. The installation would process 200,000 Mg/year of waste, mainly at code 19 12 12, into heat and electricity. The city of Łódź plans to build a second waste incineration plant with identical efficiency, with a location at Sanitary Street (near the segregation station).

Waste should be treated as natural materials, i.e. to return to production cycles – specified waste management is called circular economy (GOZ). This means that the European Union has been putting fresh challenges to us since 2018. The recycling targets are and will be more ambitious. According to experts, local governments are completely incapable to cope with this. The Institute of civilian Affairs organised a gathering for the inhabitants of Łódź in August 10, 2023. As a result, they learned why the planned incinerator is the worst option in waste management. They could besides ask questions to specialists.

“A amazingly many collected materials”

– Łódź is simply a typical, large Polish city that is completely incapable to cope with waste – said Paweł Głuszyński, an expert in the waste manufacture operating in it for 30 years, connected with the Society for Earth.

There is no shortage of waste problems in Łódź. For this city, there are severe financial penalties. Paper, glass, biowaste and plastics are the main problems of the city.

Among another things, plastics are a problem across Europe.

Last year, 32 1000 tons of plastics were received in Łódź. Paweł Głuszyński admitted that this is very much.

– little than 30% yet went into development. Unfortunately, this is simply a low average for all cities in Poland. There are no willing recipients. Recyclers search only the circumstantial ones, and the materials are colored, with various additives (...).

As he admitted, it is surely essential to segregate plastics, due to the fact that ultimately, due to the pressures of the industry, there will be willing recipients of specified materials.

– If Łódź had provided adequate efficiency and the kind of installation, the city would have reached the required level of 25% of the waste transferred for recycling and would not have paid any penalty. Here, bow to your [residents] side due to the fact that you have done your duties, while the city has not carried them out – he explains.

So what's the problem? There is no installation in the city (compost, biogas) to process kitchen waste. There's a composting plant for green waste. These all go to her.

The expert noted that The boat composting plant would be able to absorb twice as much waste as it presently does. – There is simply a supply that theoretically allows for respective years to decently process waste from green areas, single-family buildings. However, these wastes [bio kitchens] that boaters throw into brown containers, unfortunately, go into installations that do not convert this into a complete product, specified as compost, biogas. It's all wasted.

Głuszyński gave concrete values: almost 16,000 tons of specified waste was wasted. They're stabilized so they don't produce methane. Then they're stored. "He added that the only thing that happens to them is the occasional usage of them to rehabilitate the landfill bowl.

Mystery Disposal of Waste

Large waste is simply a akin problem. Their possible is wasted. During the cleaning of households, attics, cellars, etc. people are massing distant unnecessary furniture. They are then ground. Meanwhile, they could be recovered, for example, wood, metals, glass and recycled.

Mysterious is what happens to waste all over Poland. Last year in Łódź, nearly 50,000 tonnes were transferred to recycling, 17% were stored and 4% were burned.

– There's a recovery code: R12. The thing is, the waste went out there, like any kind of tape or drum, and it's going around. The Ministry accepts specified pathology. This is the case in all towns. Across the country, this is as much as 70% of waste. It can be calculated that this is reduced by 20% due to moisture loss. There's no telling what happened to them. They're buried, somewhere they'll end up in what form. And this is almost 60% of waste from Łódź. The strategy accepts that. This is an absurd situation. We request to do something about it, so that we know where we stand and what else we should invest in to improve it – said Paweł Głuszyński.

The punishment rate shall be amended each year

In the absence of circumstantial recycling ceilings and the deficiency of appropriate waste management obligations, local authorities are fined.

You should have thought before. Since 2018, we all knew what was ahead. And the self-government sleeps, it's relaxed: Well, Warsaw might do something about it. – the expert was ironic. We just gotta get to work. (...) By 2020 there was EU money – individual was asked to usage it. There were no volunteers to take them. In fact, it was said that "biowaste is something disgusting, we mostly do not want to deal with it."

The precedence was to invest in recycling installations. According to Głuszyński, now prices have increased respective times.

By 2026 Łódź will pay PLN 100 million. It's a immense amount. However, a waste treatment plant, specified as a biogas plant, can be built.

Will the incinerator poison the lives of the inhabitants of Łódź and neighbouring towns?

The gathering was organized not only to aid residents realize what is incorrect with waste management in Łódź, but besides to address the subject of the waste incineration plant planned by Veolia in Łódź Widzew. There are many myths about this, and the inhabitants are clearly confused and annoyed by the situation. They don't know what else they can do to prevent the installation from contaminating the environment, and hence, they can't destruct their health. It is to be located very close to the housing estate.

– She's besides large for Łódź. Here, more than half of the waste (minimum 54%) will be imported from another localities. Government will have no control over it.

Of course, it will be controlled by the Provincial Inspectorate of Environmental Protection, by the wellness Department and another services – explained Głuszyński. But local government will have no influence on what will be the price for receiving waste, what will be the price of selling energy, besides it is just completely outside self-government.

He recalled that years ago the city wanted to build its installation. However, it sold all Veolia documents.

– In 2018, the president dissolved this perpetual lease. It was expected to be a firehouse in a alleged public-private partnership built by the city. Thanks to the opposition of the residents in 2010-2011 they left [from the thought – ed.] – explained Teresa Adamska, associate of the board, volunteer of the association of the Centre for Sustainable Development.

Paweł Głuszyński admitted that the worst in terms of emissions of dangerous compounds would be on the east side of the installation. What is the problem in Poland? – In 2016, a completely idiotic provision was adopted saying that if waste is of adequate flammable value, then it cannot be stored, something must be done about it – in a guess burned.

What do residents themselves say about the planned incinerator?

– I'm very scared. This is simply a housing property where nursery, kindergarten – said 1 of the inhabitants of Łódź.

But it's not all settled yet.

– It's never besides late. Judges are people too. If they see protests that there is social resistance, it's not like it's coming down on them. They're moving it, too. But if there is silence, if nobody talks, then there is simply no problem – explained Rafał Górski, president of the civilian Affairs Institute, editor-in-chief of the civilian Affairs Week. “We invited the city and Veolia to the debates many times. Nobody came.

He besides added what is most important. – First, the most crucial thing is that there is simply a strategy body that could work on your behalf – this is simply a cooperative. You are members of this cooperative and you decide what self-government does – he appealed.

The gathering besides addressed the request to scope the media with the substance of planned incinerators. There have been opinions that sometimes 1 telephone call to the editor is sufficient. any of the participants of the gathering wanted to notify the tv stations. “A tiny group of people is able to change the reality, due to the fact that it will pull most”, added Rafał Górski.

Work!

The boaters did not hide the agitation and utmost emotions. There were besides votes of thanks for the activities of the civilian Affairs Institute. – Think about where we would all be now if it wasn’t for the Institute’s work. You are doing reliable research. Saying that something is harmful is not an argument in talking to an authoritative or with a decision-maker. hard data is needed here – the boat noticed.

A further problem has been identified, in addition to wellness and environmental damage, which will make a waste incineration plant. – The bargaining card is besides that our apartments will be worthless. Nobody's gonna want to buy them from us. So it is in our interest – added the afraid female Łódź.