Waste management and cleaning in Wroclaw – answers to FAQs
Where can I find the waste collection schedule?
The current waste collection schedule is available on the website of Ekosystem. In the schedules tab, you can generate a schedule for your single-family property and - after entering the street - check the waste collection days for your location if you live in a multi-family building.
Why has my rubbish not been collected?
Waste is collected according to the schedule (between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.). Please report all situations of failure to provide this service – the contractor may be subject to fines for failure to collect waste.
There are situations where the contractor cannot provide a waste collection service because this is not technically possible. Such fact must be immediately notified to Ekosystem. The most common reason for this are densely parked cars that prevent access to the bin shed – a municipal waste collection vehicle weighs around 26 tonnes and is hardly manoeuvrable. Sometimes it is impossible to access and empty the container due to bulky waste stored in a wrong way. As a rule, waste from single-family houses is collected when the owner puts a waste container in front of his property. Failure to do so means that waste may not be collected.
Where to report the lack of waste collection?
Failure to collect waste should be reported to Ekosystem via hotline (tel. 71 75 86 911), which operates from Monday to Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Each case can also be notified 24/7 via Interactive Resident Service Centre using the resident form or the property administrator form. The notification can be addressed directly to the waste collection company in our area – for contact details, see the website of Ekosystem.
To whom should I report untidiness around a waste collection site?
According to the Rules of Maintenance of Cleanliness and Order in Wroclaw, the property administrator is responsible for maintaining cleanliness at the waste collection site and at a distance of 1.5 metres from it. Reports of disorderly conduct should be addressed to the property administrator. The administrator is obliged to keep the waste collection area clean at all times by regularly cleaning up waste and other debris outside the bags or bins at least once a week. It is also the responsibility of the administrator to provide a waste collection area and to wash it periodically if the surface makes this possible (at least every six months) and to disinfect it regularly (at least every six months).
What to do with the waste that cannot be thrown into bins at the property?
Problematic waste – including electro-waste, bulky waste, construction debris and tyres – can be disposed of free of charge at two Municipal Waste Selective Collection Points (called ‘PSZOKs’) in Wroclaw. PSZOKs are located at 9 Michalczyka Street and 51 Janowska Street. Small electro-waste, fluorescent lamps, batteries, medicines, etc. are also collected in Wroclaw by the Problem Waste Collection Vehicles (shortly called ‘SZOPs’, which appear on Wroclaw's housing estates twice a month. Information on the types of waste we can drop off in them and the SZOP arrival schedule is available here. If you have difficulty finding information on where to dispose of a certain kind of waste, we encourage you to use the online waste search engine accessible at this link.
To whom should I report untidy pavements?
The Municipality of Wroclaw is responsible for the cleanliness of pavements, as well as roadways, cycle paths, shared zones, bus/tram stops, and parking spaces covered by the Contract for Maintaining Cleanliness and Order in Wroclaw. Any abnormalities noted in this regard should be reported to Ekosystem. To make controllers’ work more efficient, it is useful to indicate precisely the location of the event. On the other hand, the owner of the property is responsible for the cleanliness of the adjoining pavement. It is his responsibility to keep the pavement clean both in summer and winter.
Who can report an increase/decrease in the number of waste bins?
The need to increase or decrease the number of waste bins is notified by the property administrator. The number of containers for a property is determined according to the provisions of the Rules of Maintenance of Cleanliness and Order in Wroclaw; however, containers must not be overfilled.
Where to report an overfilled street bin?
Ekosystem is responsible for bins belonging to the municipality, which include most of the street bins and stylish bins in selected locations in Wroclaw (e.g., Market Square). Street bins can be recognised by their clear marking: the name and contact details of the company responsible for emptying it and a sticker with the bin number. Overfilling of or damage to such a container can be reported to the designated company or addressed directly to Ekosystem. Not all bins in public spaces are emptied at the request of Ekosystem – they may belong to private owners. Overfilling of such a bin must be reported to its owner – the administrator of the area on which it is placed.
Where to report a wild dump site?
A wild dump site – waste dumped in a place not intended for this purpose – should be reported to Ekosystem, the City Guard/Police or the Chief Environmental Inspectorate. Clearing a wild dump site is the responsibility of the owner of the land on which it is located. Ekosystem is responsible for the maintenance of tidiness in areas administered by the municipality. It is not responsible for the maintenance of cleanliness in other areas, e.g., those belonging to the Polish State Railways, Polish Waterways, State Forests or private lands. If Ekosystem receives reports that are not within the scope of the company, we forward the matter to the relevant entity and notify the City Guard about the existing abnormalities.
How can I order a bulky waste container?
The schedule and map of container placements and the schedule of bulky waste collection tours for selected districts of Wroclaw are available on the website of Ekosystem. If there is a need for a bulky waste container outside the planned schedule, the demand for such service is reported to Ekosystem by the property administrator, the owner or the housing estate council. In such case, the administrator indicates where the container is to be placed – it must be accessible to the public and make easy collection possible for a waste removal company.
What does an EKO-Alarm sticker mean?
An EKO-Alarm sticker provides information about the lack of separate waste collection. If the property owner fails to comply with the obligation to collect municipal waste separately (as regulated by the Act on Maintaining Cleanliness and Order in Municipalities), the company collecting municipal waste accepts it as non-segregated (mixed municipal waste) and notifies the mayor and the property owner. On this basis, proceedings are initiated and the amount of the waste management fee for the month(s) in which the obligation of separate waste collection has not been fulfilled is determined by an administrative decision, with an increased fee being applied. In Wroclaw, it amounts to PLN 82.48 per month for each person living in the property.
Who accepts rubbish declarations from residents and vacant properties?
Every property owner is obliged to submit a declaration on the amount of the municipal waste management fee, which is popularly called a rubbish declaration. It is the document in which the owner or the property administrator declares, e.g., the number of people living in the property and the amount of the fee. Residents of single-family houses submit declarations individually, and the property administrator does this on behalf of residents of multi-apartment buildings. Owners of vacant or mixed properties are required to specify the number and capacity of the waste containers they will use and the frequency of their emptying in the declaration. The indicated volumes must not be smaller than those stated in the Rules of Maintenance of Cleanliness and Order in Wroclaw, with the assumption that containers must not be overfilled. The declaration of the municipal waste management fee has to be submitted to the Department of Taxes and Fees of the Wroclaw City Office. Further information on the declaration can be found in the Public Information Bulletin.
How often are waste containers washed?
Municipal waste containers are washed at least twice a year for each fraction, except for bio-waste containers, which are washed four times a year. Street bins are washed at least every two weeks in the summer season (April – October), while they are washed at least once a month in the winter season (November – March).
How can I order a green waste container?
Green waste containers are subject to the same principle as in the case of bulky waste containers. They are placed at the request of the property owner, the administrator or the housing estate council in publicly accessible pre-designated locations. Green waste containers are not provided for vacant properties, such as allotment gardens.
