Fires in waste management plants are not uncommon, and their frequency has increased significantly in recent years.

On Saturday, April 7, a fire broke out at a waste facility belonging to the Wexpool company in Dąbrówka Wielkopolska (Lubuskie Province). Similar events in the plant took place also in 2015, in 2014 and in 2010. Flames usually appear on Saturdays.

On the same day, a fire broke out in another municipal waste management plant – Piotrów Pierwszy (Wielkopolskie Province). Big-size waste was burning.
In this plant it is also not the first case of fire. In 2016, large-scale waste and green waste also burned. In 2014, the waste in front of the factory hall was burning.

April 3, 2018

Read more on:
https://portalkomunalny.pl/dabrowka-wlkp-sortownia-znow-w-plomieniach-372812/
https://portalkomunalny.pl/pozar-piotrowo-pierwsze-koscian-selekt-poznan-tonsmeier-372807/

In Wrocław, further consultations of the National Raw Materials Policy project took place. The topic of the discussion was the sourcing of raw materials from waste.

–“The third part of the State’s Natural Resources Policy contains elements of circular economy, focusing on the recovery of raw materials from waste. It is important to acquire detailed knowledge about mineral resources from waste and to strengthen them”– reminded Deputy Minister Jędrysek. In turn, Deputy Minister Sławomir Mazurek reminded that the main idea of the Closed Circuit Economy is the reuse of waste at the raw material angle. The effect will be to maintain a higher resource level of raw materials on the market, while at the same time reducing the amount of permanently stored waste.

April 6, 2018
Read more on: http://www.portalsamorzadowy.pl/gospodarka-komunalna/polityka-surowcowa-panstwa-a-gospodarka-o-obiegu-zamknietym,105925.html

At the beginning of March, the meeting of the Rzeszów authorities and representatives of PGE Górnictwo i Energetyka (PGE GiEK) regarding waste treatment rates in the incineration plant built by PGE GiEK took place – according to the information from the “Rzeszów News” portal.

According to the portal, PGE GiEK offered a rate for processing a tonne of waste at PLN 372. In the opinion of the city authorities, this is definitely too much, because currently it pays 225 PLN for the disposal of one ton of waste to the landfill and the rate proposed by PGE GiEK would lead to an increase in charges for residents by 50%. Negotiations are underway, and the city authorities are insisting that this year the rate will be PLN 225, and the new rate was only negotiated for 2019.

The waste incineration plant will process up to 100,000 tonnes of waste per year.

March 15, 2018

Read more on: http://rzeszow-news.pl/spalarnia-odpadow-stawki-inwestora-za-wysokie-ferenc-ich-nie-akceptuje/

The Ministry of the Environment approved the positive opinion of National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management and finally approved co-financing for the investment including the design and construction of a municipal waste incineration plant in Gdańsk. The maximum possible support in the amount of over PLN 353 million has been granted.

The waste incineration plant is to be built up to the beginning of 2021. It will receive waste remaining after all stages of segregating secondary raw materials. The maximum processing capacity of the installation is 160,000 tons per year. The waste incineration plant in Olsztyn will also receive a subsidy. The incinerator still has to notify public aid to the European Commission, which may take up to half a year.

March 9, 2018

Read more on: https://portalkomunalny.pl/spalarnia-odpadow-w-gdansku-z-ponad-350-mln-zl-dofinansowania-z-unii-370840/

and http://www.ec.olsztyn.pl/aktualnosci/na-pierwszym-miejscu-mpec

At the request of the Ministry of the Environment, “Analysis of the possibility of introducing a deposit refund system for packaging” was created. Its results were summarized by Deputy Minister of the Environment Sławomir Mazurek.

“The introduction of a deposit system, which, depending on the variant, will cost 19-24 billion zlotys in the perspective of 5 years, will only cover the costs of collecting and transporting only part of packaging waste” said the Deputy Minister of the environment. “Deposit systems can be an effective way to obtain raw materials, but considering the benefits of their introduction, the costs of their operation should also be taken into account. An analysis of the possibility of introducing a deposit system for packaging has shown that the planned high costs of its introduction do not balance the potential benefits for the waste management system” – he added.

February 9, 2018

Read more on: https://www.mos.gov.pl/aktualnosci/szczegoly/news/wiceminister-slawomir-mazurek-o-perspektywie-wprowadzenia-systemu-kaucyjnego/

Plasma deodorization of sewage sludge – a project of the West Pomeranian University of Szczecin
The Electrical Department of the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin became the leader of the “STEP – sludge technological, ecological progress” project. The project received EU funding from the Interreg South Baltic Program. The value of the three-year project is about € 1.1 million.

The partners of the consortium are Bornholms Energy & Supply from Dani, Klaipeda University from Lithuania, The municipality of Höör / Mittskåne Water (Sweden) and Goleniów Wodociągi i Kanalizacja.

In the project whose head is dr hab. Eng. Marcin Hołub, the technological possibilities and solutions for initial sludge purification, energy efficiency of the process, plasma deodorization of gases and re-use of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus) will be analyzed. As part of the project, two pilot projects will be carried out:

• Goleniów – composting without odors using plasma deodorization technology
• Hoor – installation for the management (fermentation) of sludge from external suppliers (households having their own sewage treatment plant).

February 23, 2018

More read on: https://www.we.zut.edu.pl/aktualnosci/wydzial-elektryczny-liderem-projektu-interreg-south-baltic-programme/wydzial-elektryczny-liderem-projektu-interreg-south-baltic-programme/

On March 1 – 2, we were at the 7th Conference organized by CBE Poland in Warsaw. The burning of biomass and waste, and the best technologies and fuels for energy were discussed. An important element of the conference was a panel discussion in which representatives of the energy, cement and waste industries took part.

Apart from the typically biomass issues, the panel also addressed the issue of developing alternative fuels in the energy sector, including fuels produced from municipal waste – RDF.
Marek Ryński from the Połaniec power plant spoke out as the representative of the high power industry, who had already carried out attempts to develop the RDF fuel at the power plant. The hardest part, according to the interviewee, was obtaining relevant permits (including environmental ones) for such tests.

One of the guests was a representative of the Ożarów cement plant. There is no doubt that it was cement factories that were the first to decide to use the calorific fuel which is waste. In cement plants of the Ożarów group, RDF was used already in 2000, when it accounted for 0.5% of the fuel needed to produce heat for clinker burning. The cement plants gradually became convinced that RDF is a very good fuel and now its consumption in heat production is already as much as 50%.

RDF petal

Source: Own material

March 5, 2018