THE ANALYSIS OF SELECTED ELEMENTS OF WASTE MANAGEMENT – COMPARISON OF POLAND, CZECH REPUBLIC AND SLOVAKIA

ABSTRACT

The main cause of excessive waste generations is irrational resource management. Waste collected on landfills can be used to a large extent as secondary raw materials, valued at several hundred million dollars. In material management, the use of raw materials and materials from recovery is more and more important. Many materials of mineral organic origin are returned to the production in the form of secondary raw materials. The utilization of waste means that in industrialized countries, the demand for materials increases significantly slower than production.
The paper presents the analysis of selected elements of waste management. It shows the comparison of this problem in Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
In the first part of the paper, the characteristics of problems of waste management according to legal status is presented. The main ways of waste treatment are discussed.
In the second part of the paper the quantitative analysis of waste in Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia is presented. The analysis of the amount of waste divided into industrial and municipal waste is made. Also the levels of recovery and recycling of these types of waste are presented.

Keywords: waste, waste management, waste treatment