Waste management of all solid waste, due to its potential negative impact on the natural environment, is one of the most important problems of the beginning of the 21st century. Currently, depositing any waste in landfills should be a last resort and the final link in the logistical chain of waste utilization and disposal.
In every household, apart from daily municipal solid waste, which can be easily managed, bulky waste is generated. This includes unwanted furniture, household appliances, and electronic equipment. In European Union countries, bulky waste is incinerated in appropriate facilities or deposited in landfills. In Poland, it is becoming necessary to introduce a modern logistics system for the collection and processing of this type of waste. As a result of many years of observations, research, and field reconnaissance conducted by the Polish Ecological Club, Wielkopolska District, a logistics model for bulky waste was developed. It should be emphasized that due to economic conditions, it is not possible to introduce and apply the same solutions as in Western Europe. In Poland, the gross domestic product per capita in 2003 was 5,486 USD, while in Germany it was 29,092 USD.
Logistics of bulky waste collection
For several years, bulky waste collection has been carried out in Poznań by the Barka Foundation for Mutual Help. The beginnings of collecting items date back to the last years of the 20th century, and significant activity has been taking place since 2000. Currently, continuing the collection is becoming very difficult because there are 2 problems. The first is the broadly understood issues of collection logistics, and the second is the disposal by many people of a mass of items that are not suitable for economic use today. In the bulky waste collected by the Foundation’s charges, in recent years there has been on average:
• 50% furniture and other products in a condition not suitable for further use
• 20% are used in the Foundation’s accommodation facilities
• 15% are sold
• 15% are sold after thorough renovation.
The logistics developed as a result of the research assumes the division of bulky waste into 2 types. Into small ones, which can be transported by the population themselves, and large ones or many small ones. In the latter case, transport would take place differently than today, in 3 ways:
a. placing a container with a volume of 20 m3 the previous evening and –
at the request of people getting rid of unwanted items – loading bulky waste into it the next day by a special group of Foundation employees,
b. at the request of people getting rid of unwanted items, waste collection in the afternoon by Foundation employees using a truck equipped with a hydraulic crane (HDS), which will allow for lifting large and heavy objects,
c. as is currently the case, there would be a possibility of placing a large-volume container for several days, intended for bulky waste, and self-loading.
In the first two cases, bulky waste is carried out of rooms and loaded by the Foundation’s charges.
Specialized vehicles along with containers are owned by a large business entity dealing with waste removal. Such a solution should be introduced because it enables simultaneous collection by several brigades. It should be emphasized that currently, no organization can afford to purchase several specialized vehicles and containers for several million zlotys. An important element is also the necessity of having appropriate permits for the collection and transport of waste, which are required by applicable legal acts.
The collected items are transported to a special yard – a segregation center. There, every piece of waste is weighed. Another group of foundation employees will deal with segregation into two groups:
1. used electrical and electronic equipment, which will then be transported to specialized dismantling centers,
2. remaining furniture and other bulky waste, which will be subjected to further segregation.
The next action will be another, very thorough segregation performed by another specialized group of people from the foundation. As a result, four groups of bulky waste will be created.
The first will contain ferrous and non-ferrous metal scrap. It will go to scrap processing points, which should be equipped with shredder mills, enabling the simultaneous separation of ferrous metal scrap, non-ferrous metal scrap, and the light fraction.
Such action will allow for a significant reduction in the volume of scrap. The second group will consist of furniture with antique features. They will be subjected to manual, thorough renovation under the guidance of specialists by another group of people from the foundation. Then they can be sold. The third group is furniture in good condition, suitable for further use. Some items will be used in centers that provide help and accommodation to people in difficult life situations. Other furniture from this group can be sold at low prices to interested persons.