The Polish city of Bydgoszcz has announced its plan to end its waste separation collection scheme by the end of this year. Bydgoszcz looks to become the first Polish city to receive EU funds for the development of a new waste incinerator by 2012. This has been criticised by CEE Bankwatch Network's member group Polish Green Network.

Przemek Kalinka, Bankwatch's national coordinator in Poland, said: “Bydgoszcz is currently the front-runner among Polish cities to pitch for EU funds, in this case EUR 85 million, for a new waste incinerator. And we are seeing the real price that has to be paid for this completely unsustainable approach to waste management.

“By pulling recycling opportunities that are popular with households, the authorities in Bydgoszcz are confirming our fears and putting the lie to European Commission claims that incineration and recycling can go together. Incinerators need waste and they need it in growing volumes to be economically viable, and that, unfortunately, appears to be the chosen strategy in Bydgoszcz as waste separation and recycling bins get ready to be towed away to the scrapheap.”

Last week's announcement from the Bydgoszcz authorities attempted to have it both ways by on the one hand confirming that street containers with the city emblem will be discontinued but at the same time insisting that private waste collection companies would handle the job on their own.

Przemek Kalinka said: “Poles recycle only six percent of their household waste and in some places they are discouraged from doing so. On paper, all companies collecting waste from residences should provide the opportunity to recycle, but this is not happening. Every effort to educate and encourage people to recycle is valuable. Most Polish cities actively promote recycling by increasing the number of containers on streets and taking advantage of funding easily available for such initiatives. The European Commission should not agree to fund incineration projects in cities that dump recycling."

The planned Bydgoszcz waste incinerator is one of 12 currently proposed incinerators in Poland that are seeking over EUR 1 billion from the EU Funds. Bankwatch is concerned both about the rush to prepare these projects for EU funding applications and how – if they materialise – they will lock Poland into an unsustainable approach to waste management for decades to come.

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