“Apart from introducing legislative changes concerning waste segregation, the Ministry of Environment also puts great emphasis on educating the society. We want as many residents of Poland as possible to be aware that waste is more than just trash – it contains valuable raw materials. When waste is segregated, it can be reused thanks to recycling. Education is a key to success,” said the Minister of Environment Henryk Kowalczyk during a press conference held on 23 October 2019 in Warsaw.

The campaign launched by the Ministry of Environment refers to the Unified Waste Segregation System introduced in Poland, according to which raw materials should be separated from waste, which cannot be processed or recycled. The aim of the campaign is to foster ecological awareness pro-environmental engagement of residents of Poland, in this case manifested in the ability to properly segregate waste. The campaign also aims to show that waste segregation brings real environmental and economic benefits.

“Our activities are geared towards educating people about the fact that thanks to proper segregation, more waste can be recycled. It is important to give people a good example and to build proper habits and behaviours. I segregate my waste and I believe that these seemingly insignificant activities have a real impact on the environment,” the minister pointed out.

The minister also said that residents may be more motivated to segregate their waste thanks to the recent amendment to the Act on Maintaining Cleanliness and Order in Municipalities, which entered into force on 6 September. The amendment introduces new rules on the differentiation of fees for segregated and non-segregated waste collection. People who segregate their waste are going to pay at least 50% less for waste collection than those who do not do that. Other incentives for waste segregation include lower fees for waste collection for people who have household composters and manage their bio-waste in them.

The “High Five for Segregating” campaign

The slogan of the campaign refers to the “high five” gesture – a common greeting, which can be also considered to be an act of approval or a way to celebrate one’s success. The “High Five for Segregating” campaign is focused on five main characters: Wyszkłolony, Papa Pier, Plastika Metalica, El Bio and Zmieszko. Each of them refers to different types of waste and colours of waste bins:

• Wyszkłolony - encourages the segregation of glass waste;
• Papa Pier – teaches about paper segregation;
• Plastika Metalica – explains how to segregate plastics and metals;
• El Bio – refers to the segregation of BIO waste;
• Zmieszko – points out which kinds of waste should be put in mixed waste bins.

The campaign will also feature short films presenting the adventures of its protagonists. The films are intended to provide a clear overview of the various aspects of waste segregation, as well as to educate and encourage change in attitudes. The project also envisions communication with local government units and schools.

More information about the waste segregation educational campaign