The population is dwindling, and the garbage is growing. Someone has to pay for it.

• The waste collection fee in Starachowice will increase from PLN 29 to PLN 34 per month.
• The city contributes over PLN 2.5 million annually to the waste management system.
• The new fee for not segregating waste will be PLN 102. This is significantly more than before.

Starting next year, waste collection fees will increase in Starachowice. As explained in the justification for the increase, the decision stems from the need to cover the operating costs of the waste management system, which are expected to exceed PLN 13.6 million in 2026. Therefore, the city council adopted a resolution increasing waste collection fees. Starting next year, residents will pay PLN 34 instead of the current PLN 29.

The city will have to add over PLN 2.5 million this year to the waste management system, which was supposed to be self-financing.

This is a huge amount that we could spend on other purposes that would serve residents, not just garbage collection.

- emphasizes Ilona Traczyk, councilor of Starachowice, in an interview with TVP3.

According to local government data, the fees should be paid by 44,000 city residents, but only 36,000 do .

"We also have a large number of temporary workers here. Unfortunately, these individuals are often unregistered in our system. This is the responsibility of the landlords who rent such premises," emphasizes Marcin Gołębiowski, Deputy Mayor of Starachowice for Social Affairs at TVP3.

In an effort to tighten the system, the city plans to introduce a city card, which will be the basis for free public transport. Receiving the card will require proof of waste collection fees from the last 12 months.

Another problem with Starachowice's waste system is poor sorting. Therefore, councilors decided that, starting next year, the increased fee for lack of or poor sorting will be three times the basic rate, or PLN 102 (previously, it was PLN 58, or twice the current rate).