Ratiboř

We originally planned to start at the beginning of September, but we still needed to do a physical analysis of the waste to determine exactly which commodities to target. The physical analysis was scheduled for 25 September 2019. In the morning, a garbage truck took a tonne of waste to the collection yard, where staff from the Institute of Circular Economy, JRK and Brno University of Technology sorted it into individual commodities.

RESULT - 1 tonne of waste contained

50% of bio-waste
8% plastic
5% paper and cardboard
3 % metals
2,2 % glass
31.8% municipal waste

This finding is truly shocking. We are exporting 50% of waste that does not need to end up in bins at all, but can be used in gardens, composted or sorted at the collection yard. Instead, we take this bio-waste to landfill and pay for the collection and then for the landfill. Landfilling alone costs CZK 1 000 per tonne. Every week we take out 8 tonnes of municipal waste, which means that we pay CZK 8 000 for landfill fees. Half of this amount is completely unnecessary, because bio-waste would not have to go to landfill at all.

I am not going to argue about the environmental impact, but let us look at this matter from an economic point of view. We produce 360 tonnes of municipal waste in Ratiboř every year. We pay CZK 360 000 in landfill fees alone. And now we have discovered that we can save half of this amount if we are more consistent. We will soon see a ban on landfilling and an increase in the price of municipal waste disposal. It has also been announced that municipalities will have to change the calculation of the waste charge. In practice, this will mean adding up all the costs of disposing of and storing the waste produced and dividing it by the number of inhabitants. If we did this today, it would look like this:

The cost of waste in the municipality of Ratiboř per year is on average CZK 1 700 000,- (municipal waste collection + operation of the collection yard and separation). If we divide this amount by the number of inhabitants (1 857 inhabitants as of 1 January 2019), we get CZK 915,- per inhabitant. This is how the waste charge will be calculated in the future. Currently we pay 450 CZK per inhabitant, the rest is paid from the municipal budget. Today, the legislation allows this relief. However, in the future it will no longer be possible. And the question is absolutely clear. There is a large reserve of money that we can save on waste and invest in other projects that we need to implement in the municipality. We want to keep the waste fee as low as possible or we will be willing to pay for the convenience. Can we imagine such a high waste fee? Plus, we have to tell ourselves that there are a lot of citizens who consistently sort, but there are still a lot of people who just throw everything in the bin.

The new system will be completely voluntary. We are not going to force anyone to sort; everyone will still be able to put anything in the bin. The difference, however, will be the fee. Why should those who sort pay the same as those who put everything their household produces in the bin?

A one-year trial run is planned. During October we will introduce bag collections, where we will collect plastics once a fortnight
and paper once a month and metals once a month. Bags with a code will be available for each household to pick up free of charge from the municipal office. All households that join the scheme will have an account in the system, which will be used to record the amount of waste sorted. After one year of operation, we will evaluate the system and the second phase will be the introduction of financial bonuses for sorting. Simply, a household that sorts a certain amount of waste will be rewarded with a discount on the municipal waste charge. Those who do not want to sort will pay the full fee. Simple, fair and non-violent.

We can compare everything with water, for example. How much water I use is how much I pay for. I know that water is expensive, so I try to conserve it. Waste is exactly the same. How much waste I produce is how much I pay for. But there is only one disadvantage. Waste is calculated on a per capita average. We don't put a water meter on the bin.) But a household that sorts doesn't have to pay the same money as a household that puts everything in the bin.

Plastic, paper, glass and metals we have sorted out. Let's try to change bio-waste too. There have been two waves of composter allocations in recent years. Furthermore, our citizens have the opportunity to take their bio-waste to the collection yard three times a week. The possibilities are really great. There are also other options, such as containers placed around the village. However, this is not possible, because irresponsible citizens also throw other waste into these containers and then it all ends up in the municipality anyway, what a pity! There is also the possibility of brown bins for organic waste. But that means another collection and the result is exactly the same as with the containers around the village. In many brown bins there will be other waste and it will have to be taken to landfill. It is a vicious circle. The only solution is to be consistent or simply pay. And it is up to you, dear fellow citizens, which option you voluntarily choose!

Date of introduction of the system

From 28 October 2019, it will be possible to pick up bags with QR codes and register for the system at the municipal registry office. The system itself will then go live on 1 November 2019. You will be able to sign up to the new system at any time. There is no time limit to log in.

We will announce the date of the new system rollout and bag pick-up on the infochannel, website and on municipal radio. The whole event will be supported by lectures and public discussions in cooperation with the Institute of Circular Economy.

Martin Žabčík
Mayor