Tag Archives: Czech Republic

961–974 S. Zhao, V. Altmann, L. Richterova and V. Vitkova
Comparison of physical composition of municipal solid waste in Czech municipalities and their potential in separation
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Comparison of physical composition of municipal solid waste in Czech municipalities and their potential in separation

S. Zhao¹*, V. Altmann¹, L. Richterova² and V. Vitkova¹

¹Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU), Faculty of Engineering, Department of Machinery Utilization, Kamýcká 129, CZ165 00 Praha 6 – Suchdol, Czech Republic
²Institut Cirkulární Ekonomiky, z.ú., Hybernská 998/4, 110 00, Prague, Czech Republic
*Correspondence: zhao@tf.czu.cz

Abstract:

Czech Republic has been moving from landfill-based waste system toward resource-based waste management system with an increasing rate of recyclable waste in the last years (38.6% of recycling by material and 11.7% of energy recovery in 2018). However, landfill is still a popular way of mixed municipal solid waste (MMSW) disposal due to the low tax. In the Czech Republic, MMSW is collected from households by door-to-door system or recovery operations (Household Waste Recycling Centre) and only should consists of everyday items, which are further non-recyclable and non-reusable. However, a significant amount of recyclable waste can still be found in MMSW. Therefore, a good knowledge of the physical composition of MMSW is required to define strategy plans and improve waste management in municipalities. This work is aimed at comparing the physical composition of MMSW in the Czech Republic with small municipalities up to 2,999 inhabitants and big municipalities from 3,000 inhabitants to recognize the share of recyclable and non-recyclable waste in MSW and designate the potential of separation at source. Composition of MMSW was determined by a physical evaluation of waste collected from households in target municipalities which consists in a detailed manual sorting of waste into 13 specific groups according to their types, and weighting by a scale. We found that the real proportion of MMSW that could no longer be reused or recycled was much less than the amount disposed of in the municipal waste bins. A large part of MMSW consisted of organic waste together with food waste. This type of waste is especially useful when people turn it into compost to prevent the production of waste and it returns the nutrients back to the soil, closing the circle. The rate of recyclable waste was also high in many municipalities covered by our analyses, which indicated a lower rate of separation and reflected an insufficient sorting system in municipality and insufficient education of inhabitants. On the other hand, it points to the larger space of separation potential in households. In conclusion the evaluation emphasizes the improper proportion of MMSW in Czech municipalities. A lot of waste can be recycled but once it is thrown into black bins as MMSW, there is no chance that it will be reused/recycled. It therefore calls for measures to improve sorting at source, which will benefit municipal authorities in term of increasing recycle rates in order to comply with regulations and make a profit. We found the analysis of the physical composition of MMSW as a fundamental method for municipalities to verify the separation rate at the source, and it is recommended to conduct this analysis regularly and monitor developments.

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