At the outset, the moderator pointed out that the topic extends beyond environmental concerns, also possessing economic, social, and strategic significance. ‘The way we approach waste reflects not only our environmental culture but also our ability to manage resources in a modern way’, he emphasised.
The first speaker, Arkadiusz Fajok, Mayor of Inowrocław, highlighted the challenges facing local governments. He noted that municipalities are grappling with both rising waste management costs and residents' expectations for high-quality services, observing that local authorities are often left to deal with complex regulations and the lack of a stable financing system on their own. ‘If we do not find sustainable solutions, the waste problem will become a barrier to the development of our cities’, he said.
Next, Piotr Kapuściński, Vice-President of Qemetica Soda Polska, offered an industrial perspective. He stressed that companies must increasingly take responsibility not only for their production but also for the waste generated throughout a product's entire life cycle, adding that a clear legal framework and mechanisms to encourage investment in recovery and recycling technologies are necessary. ‘The circular economy should not be seen as a cost, but as an opportunity for innovation and new business models’, he added.
Kamil Majerczak, CEO of PreZero Polska, underscored the need to think of waste as a raw material. He presented examples of his company's activities, which invests in modern facilities that enable the reuse of materials, including plastic and organic waste. Majerczak emphasised that too much waste in Poland still ends up in landfills when it could be used to fuel the economy as secondary raw materials or energy. ‘We need to change our way of thinking – waste is not a problem, but a source of value’, he stated.
Speaking from a scientific viewpoint, Prof. Grzegorz Wielgosiński, Dean of the Faculty of Process Engineering and Environmental Protection at the Łódź University of Technology, drew attention to the need to apply knowledge and technology to solve waste-related problems. He reminded the audience that Poland has struggled for years with an investment gap in modern processing plants and a lack of competence in local administration. In his opinion, public education is also essential, as building an efficient waste sorting and recycling system will be impossible without a change in residents' habits. ‘Technology is important, but public awareness remains the foundation’, he noted.
