Soil protection

Brzeg is called a town of greenery and a lot of parks and green areas are situated here. There have been many ecological investments undertaken in the town, which contribute to the development and preservation of natural qualities.

The Municipality received a prestigious award for its actions aiming towards the improvement of local natural environment – it was recognized as “The Environmentally-Friendly Commune”. This prestigious title is the result of being among the winners of the ecological competition being under the honorary patronage of President of Republic of Poland Aleksander Kwasniewski.

The competition organizer is the Non-governmental Initiatives Support Centre – “Our Home Europe” Association. The objective of the competition is to award the best local governments which have recently accomplished ecological investments being important from the point of view of local community or region and having an impact on the improvement of the natural environment condition. There have been many actions aiming at the improvement of ecological conditions undertaken in our Municipality. The most significant include: the construction of sewage system, and the wastewater treatment plant as well as the establishing of Urban Waste Management Ecological Association “EKOGOK”. Great significance is attached to the ecological education starting from the kindergartens.

Soil protection
In 1994 in the multi-occupied housing areas of Brzeg a system of urban waste segregation was introduced with the use of plastic containers. This system involves about 7.500 people, which constitutes 18,7% of the town’s residents. In the second part of 1999 in the area of two single-family housing estates a trial programme of the selective bag system waste collection was started. This waste segregation scheme involves about 7,8% of Brzeg’s residents.

The implementation of the trial programme was preceded by educational and information campaign among the inhabitants. At present selective waste collection in the town is conducted by Urban Hygiene Company Ltd. (ZHK) in Brzeg. The waste: plastic, paper, glass is collected in appropriate containers and bags and later removed by the ZHK. Then, the waste is brought to the company’s storage base where it is segregated, packed and shipped to the recycling companies.

Other urban waste coming from Brzeg is transported to Solid Waste Management Plant in Gac (Commune of Olawa) which is located on the border of Opole and Lower Silesia Provinces . The plant was built in 1999 under the Intercommunal Association “EKOGOK”, which is formed by the following communes: Town of Brzeg (58%), Town of Olawa (31%), Commune of Olawa (5%), Commune of Lubsza (4%), Commune of Skarbimierz (2%). Mayor of Brzeg Wojciech Huczyñski is the Chairman of the Association. At present one waste storing plot (2,9 ha) as well as the mechanical sorting plant of mixed urban waste (built under the stage one of the plant’s extension programme) are functioning in the plant area). In future another three waste storage plots are to be built. More information concerning waste management is available at www.ekogok.pl