Changes in waste packaging management and implementation to achieve a circular economy - Polish case study

Abstract

Currently, within the European Union, the importance of resource efficiency is being highlighted. The issue has been well established within the Europe 2020 strategy and above all within the concept Towards a circular economy: zero waste for Europe’. Using the example of Poland, the authors show changes that have occurred in the management of packaging waste after Poland joined the EU. The data of the Central Statistical Office concerning both municipal and packaging waste allowed to determine changes in waste management and to address them, and the literature on the subject indicates gaps as well as barriers in this area. Building a circular economy (CE) for both packaging goods and waste from packaging in Poland not only requires increasing the involvement of enterprises but also the need for Polish society to be willing to embrace the objectives of the concept of "Zero Waste for Europe" in the European Union.

Keywords

• packaging
• circular economy
• zero waste
• waste management