# Selective Collection and Management of Biowaste from the Municipal Sector in Poland: A Review
## 2 Biowaste in Poland--Production and Properties  
In 2020, Poland generated 13.117 million tons of municipal waste, recording a 2.9% increase in generation compared to the previous year. On a per capita basis, this means an increase in municipal waste generated from 332 kg in 2019 to 342 kg in 2020 [34]. However, it should be mentioned that the amount of municipal waste generated in Poland, per capita, is by far one of the lowest in Europe and the European Union. The amount of municipal waste collected selectively is also increasing yearly, which is a positive phenomenon, not considering the reduced amount of waste generated. In 2005, selective collection accounted for only 3% of municipal waste (295,000 tons). In 2020, less than 5 million tons were collected selectively, accounting for 38% of the total municipal waste generated (Figure 1). It represents a 25% increase in selectively collected waste compared to the previous year [34]. In 2020, biodegradable waste accounted for the largest share of all separately collected waste [34]. Analyzing the data presented in Figure 2, it should be noted that the share of biodegradable separately collected municipal waste, in general, is steadily increasing. In 2010, it was 21.1%, and in 2020, it was 32.4% (Figure 2). Rational management of biowaste is one of the most critical challenges for environmental protection and the aspirations for the circular economy principle [35; 36]. The choice of technology and the number of facilities necessary for processing would directly result from the parameters describing the discussed group of waste. Primarily, mention should be made of the total amount of biowaste generated and, more importantly, collected in a given area. It determines the necessary capacity of the installation to manage it. In addition, the morphology of biowaste, dry mass, organic matter content, and accumulation rates, both daily, monthly, and annual, are essential parameters. Figure 1: Municipal waste collected separately in Poland; own study based on [34]. Figure 3 presents municipal biowaste generation per person and the share of biowaste in municipal waste generated by the country in 2017 [37]. For Poland, the share of biowaste in municipal waste generated is approximately 33%, which deviates from the average for the analyzed countries by only a few percent. The amount of biowaste generated and collected in each country may differ significantly. It would have consequences in terms of the need for its management. According to the Regulation of the Minister of Climate and Environment of 10 May 2021, on the method of selective collection of selected waste fractions [6] in force in Poland, paper, glass, metals, plastics, multi-material packaging waste, and biowaste are collected selectively. The history of the selective collection of biowaste in Poland is relatively short, spanning only a few years. One of the main goals of such measures is to reduce the weight of the waste going to landfills. As a result, the level of selective collection of the waste in question would  
Figure 3: Municipal waste collected separately in selected European countries [37]. Figure 2: Structure of separately collected municipal waste by waste fraction; own study based on [34]. increase. In addition, increasingly more waste should be managed through recycling or recovery processes. To correctly manage the waste, it must first be classified appropriately. In Poland, this is performed using the so-called Waste Catalog defined by the Regulation of the Minister of Climate [11]. It classifies waste based on the source of its generation. Each waste is described by a code consisting of six digits, where the first two denote a group, the next two a subgroup, and the last two a type of waste. The catalog includes nearly 1000 types of waste classified into 20 groups. Biowaste from the municipal sector is classified primarily as biodegradable plant-origin kitchen waste (code 20 01 08) and biodegradable waste (including gardens and parks) described by code 20 02 01.