Separated waste collection and recycling

							Separated waste collection and recycling (final sorting and treatment of wastes, carried out by KOSIT a.s.)

by Mgr. Renáta Miháliková

In the year 2001 KOSIT a.s. was created, which company started to operate in the field of waste management within the territory of the City of Košice. From the very beginning among its priorities belong the creation of a functional separated waste collection system including hazardous wastes. An important impulse to start the separated waste collection was the enaction of a new law, above all the law num. 223/2001 about wastes and the law num. 529/2002 about packeges. Important step from the government was to publish the Waste management program till the year 2005. At the beginning of 2002 in collaboration with the share-holder of KOSIT a.s. – City of Košice, begun the first positioning of 1 100L containers in residential districts. Containers for paper, glass, plastic and metals were introduced but also mobile collection of cardboards in the city center, free of charge 120L and 240L containers for glass collection. Commercial centers and shops selling electric appliances were given plastic barrels for battery collection. The decision to build up a complex system of separated waste collection were sustained by events as the „Proposal for the strategy of separated waste collection in Košice“ that has been created as a result of the partecipation of the city together with our company in a project called „Cities of change“. This project, under the patronage of the World Bank and the Bertelsmann Foundation, ment a clear elaboration of the concept how to intoduce separated waste collection in the City of Košice. It also sustained the creation of the Recycling Fund, an organization that concentrates financial resources to help the development of separated waste collection. In the year 2003 we register a breakthrough since the engagement of the citizens into the separated waste collection rose in an immense way. This was also the year when the Recycling Fund confered to our company grants to cover expenses connected to the realization of the I. stage of intensification and expansion of the separated waste collection in the City of Košice. This territory was covered by 1 077 containers. With the help of 1 100L containers and with bag collection system more than 5 567 households could join in. A very important factor was the introduction of our own sorting

line for plastics, foils and metals but also the creation of other treatment plants for the separated commodities. This allowed to widen the types of collected commodities and to become economically independent. Another important stage in introducing a complex separated waste collection system including the collection of hazardous wastes was in the year 2005. With the financial help of the Recycling Fund we were able to finish the II. stage of intensification and expansion of the separated waste collection in the City of Košice.

PRESENT SITUATION In the present time we are providing the possibility of separated waste collection in 21 city districts of Košice. It rappresents an area of 243,8 km2 and 236 093 citizens. Separated waste collection is carried out also in 14 surrounding villages.

Separated waste collection system:

Collection with containers has had success in residential neighborhoods, respecting the range of delivery of the households. The 1 100L containers are distinguished by colour according to the commodities. Collected commodities are glass, paper and plastic together with metals. They are collected from 2x a month up to 1x a week depending on the commodity and season. Actual number of positioned containers is 1.800 pieces.

Collection with sacks is used in single family houses. We use 110L plastic bags of various colours The collection is carried out throughout 110 L sacks according to the separated waste collection calendar. Number of households participating this type of collection is 15 000.

Mobile collection of paper

was implemented in 2006 as an alternative solution to the

container collection to raise the efficiency and cleanness of the collected commodity.

Mobile collection of hazardous wastes is carried out since 2006 throughout a so called ecostorehouse according to our calendar distributed to the households.

Collection yards are available for the citizens, where they can dispose free of charge these type of wastes: small costruction type of wastes (1m3), bulky wastes, tyres, plastics, paper, glasses, metals and hazardous wastes classified into the category of household wastes.

Purchase of paper takes place in schools and separated waste collection for businesses is carried out upon a contractual relationship.

Transportation trucks To carry out our activities we use: 2 compactors of 15m3, 1 compactor of 7m3 and other types of vehicles.

Final sorting, treatment and expedition A very important factor in the field of waste management and the separated waste collection is the final sorting, treatment and expedition of the commodities. For this reason has our company built a Waste Separation Center that can be divided into two parts. The first part of the center is operating since 2002 and contains the sorting line for plastics and metals, shredders for plastics and a hydraulic compactor. Storehouses for hazardous waste are also a part of this center. Since the beginning of 2007 the new Waste separation center, that is aimed to raise the efficiency of the treatment process of separated wastes, is functioning. Its construction was co-financed from the structural fond ERDF. The center is equipped by a large capacity shredder, 10 large capacity containers and with an abroll system vehicle. Wastes conferred to this center are usually from the collection with large capacity containers. After arrival they are emptied on a concrete surface where they are sorted out. All usable materials and also the hazardous wastes are taken out. The treatment of paper, cardboards and plastic is carried out on the sorting line of the company EAST – PAPER, s.r.o. where one of the share-holders is KOSIT a.s. The separated commodities are baled with the help of a compactor into packets. Expedition of the packets is realized with trucks

Figures in table indicated in tons

COMMODITIES 2002 2003 Paper and cardboard 279,63 731,54 Glass 150,34 520,35 Plastic (mixed) 172,09 226,49 Foils 20,50 107,75 Metals 1288,77 1077,37 Bulky wastes 196,80 192,28 Debris 445,00 1059,66 Tyres 180,91 102,94 Textile 1,58 Hazardous wastes: Batteries and accum. Lamps Electronic scrap Packeges cont. NL Oils and grease Absorbents Paints

2004 791,31 778,52 272,42 84,56 735,70 632,34 1726,20 78,30 0,35

2005 1226,71 1099,80 563,25 115,41 948,94 3260,07 3014,01 143,15 9,98

2006 TOTAL 3562,62 6591,81 1721,12 4270,13 554,35 1788,60 189,50 517,72 795,40 4846,18 3659,67 7941,16 1644,98 7889,85 151,4 656,7 13,14 25,05

3,98 0,03 2,81 0,40 0,28 1,04

49,52 0,60 6,33 1,15 2,46 0,28 4,04

26,30 2,15 15,99 3,45 2,84 0,18 6,92

19,46 2,48 21,06 1,78 4,62 0,41 7,78

20,465 0,432 48,409 3,19 5,31 50,37 6,14

119,725 5,692 94,599 9,97 15,51 50,83 25,92

For the last five years since the foundation of KOSIT a.s. with the collaboration of the City of Košice and the financial sustain of the Recycling Fund we were able to introduce on territory of Košice and its surroundings a functional collection system and transport of separated commodities. Despite of these results we can still improve, above all by convincing more citizens, private and statal firms to join in. We also have to improve the quality or the cleanness of the collected commodities and to decrease the number of damaged containers. To eliminate or at least to alleviate these deficiencies we are trying to optimalize collection places, frequency of the collection and systematicly educate and inform the citizens. Between our planned activities belongs a project to create a Center of waste oil collection and costruction of a bigger more efficient sorting line for plastic and paper. It is necessary to think about biologically decomposable wastes and further construction of collection yards for the citizens. The aim is to raise efficiency of the separated waste collection in the years 2006-2010 by raising the percentage of selected materials and by improving the collection system. The separated waste collection and its treatment is an important part of the complex waste

management system of KOSIT a.s., not only in the City of Košice but also in the whole region of Košice and Prešov.