Collection Systems in Poland 🇵🇱
About
Poland uses a color-coded container system with Yellow for packaging, Blue for paper, Green for glass, and Brown for bio-waste. Collection methods vary by municipality. Since 1 Jan 2025, every municipality must provide textile collection via PSZOK (recycling centres).
Collection Streams
Metals & Plastics Recycling + Beverage Cartons (Yellow)
What goes in:
- Packaging (YES): empty, crushed plastic drink bottles; caps/lids; plastic food packaging; cleaning/cosmetics packaging; plastic bags/film; aluminium drink cans; food tins; aluminium foil; jar lids/caps
- Packaging (YES): multi-material cartons (e.g., milk/juice cartons)
What does NOT go in:
- Containers with contents; plastic toys; medicine packaging & used medical items; motor-oil containers; car parts; batteries/accumulators; paint/varnish cans; electronics/white goods
Notes:
- Don't wash packaging unless your municipality explicitly asks—empty it instead
- Where possible, separate mixed materials (e.g., peel off an aluminium lid from a plastic cup)
- Non-packaging bulky plastics/metals should go to PSZOK (recycling centre)
Paper Recycling (Blue)
What goes in:
- Packaging (YES): paper/cardboard packaging, cartons, corrugated cardboard; paper bags
- Non-packaging (also accepted): newspapers & magazines, leaflets/catalogues, office & school paper, notebooks & books, wrapping paper
What does NOT go in:
- Paper towels & used tissues; foil-coated/laminated paper; greasy/heavily soiled paper; drink cartons (e.g., milk/juice); cement/fertiliser paper bags; wallpaper; nappies/other hygiene waste; clothes
Notes:
- Staples can stay (small elements are OK); remove bigger non-paper parts (e.g., plastic covers, thick bindings) where possible
Glass Packaging Recycling (Green)
What goes in:
- Packaging (YES): glass bottles & jars (food/drinks, incl. alcohol and vegetable oils); glass cosmetic packaging if not made of permanently bonded multi-material layers
What does NOT go in:
- Ceramics/porcelain/faience/crystal; spectacle glass; heat-resistant glass; candles with wax
- Often also excluded locally: light bulbs; reinforced glass; window glass
Notes:
- Some municipalities separate clear and coloured glass (white/green)
- Flat glass (window panes, mirrors) is typically a PSZOK item
Bio-waste / Organics (Brown)
What goes in:
- Non-packaging organics (YES): fruit & vegetable waste/peels; garden waste (grass, leaves, branches); sawdust & bark; unimpregnated wood; food leftovers (see note re: meat)
What does NOT go in:
- Bones; cooking oil; animal faeces; coal ash; medicines; impregnated wood; MDF/particle boards; soil & stones; other (incl. hazardous) waste
- Common local rule: no meat/bones/dairy/liquid food
Notes:
- Meat/animal-product leftovers: rules can vary by municipality; many municipalities instruct residents to keep animal-origin leftovers (meat) out of BIO and put them in mixed waste instead
- Bagging: many municipalities want bio-waste loose or only in approved biodegradable/paper bags (local rule)
Residual / Mixed Waste (Black)
What goes in:
- 'What's left' after sorting recyclables + bio: e.g., wet/soiled paper; used hygiene products (nappies, sanitary waste); cat litter; ceramics; broken non-packaging glass; (often) meat & bones where BIO doesn't accept them
What does NOT go in:
- Hazardous waste; textiles; electronics/white goods; batteries; construction waste; medicines; chemicals; green waste
Notes:
- National guidance defines mixed as everything not recyclable, excluding hazardous waste and textiles
- Municipal guidance commonly adds: don't put WEEE, batteries, medicines, chemicals, rubble, green waste here—use PSZOK/collection points
Textiles / Clothing / Footwear (Separate Collection)
What goes in:
- Non-packaging (YES): used clothing, footwear, home textiles (bedding, curtains, towels, blankets), bags, belts, plush toys, carpets etc. (typically via PSZOK and/or municipal collection options)
What does NOT go in:
- Do not put textiles into mixed waste as a default
Notes:
- Since 1 Jan 2025, every municipality must provide a way to hand in textile waste at least via PSZOK; some municipalities add containers or 'door-to-door' days
- Exception: very dirty cleaning rags may be allowed in mixed in incidental cases if they're not recyclable; textiles contaminated with chemicals should go to PSZOK
PSZOK (Recycling Centre) - Problem Waste
What goes in:
- Typically accepts many household-only streams: bulky waste, WEEE, batteries, chemicals/paints, tyres, small DIY construction waste, some oils, textiles, green waste etc. (scope and limits set by municipality)
What does NOT go in:
- Usually does not accept mixed (unsorted) household waste; business waste; and specific restricted materials (example: asbestos; leaking containers; etc.)
Notes:
- PSZOK rules (opening hours, proof of residency, quantity limits, accepted fractions) vary by municipality
- Nationally, municipalities are required to organise selective collection and provide PSZOK access
Sources:
What Gets Collected
Accepted Items
- • Packaging materials (varies by stream)
- • Empty and clean containers
- • Material-specific items
Not Accepted
- • Non-packaging items
- • Contaminated materials
- • Hazardous containers with contents
Regional Variations
Collection systems in Poland may vary by municipality or region. Local sorting capabilities, collection infrastructure, and acceptance criteria can differ significantly even within the same country.
Important Notes
Since 1 Jan 2025, every municipality must provide textile collection at least via PSZOK
Bio-waste rules vary significantly by municipality—many exclude meat/bones/dairy from bio-waste
PSZOK (recycling centres) are important drop-off points for many special waste streams
The packaging-only rule is critical for plastic and metal streams
Sources
Collection system information is based on national and regional guidelines. For the most current and location-specific information, consult local waste management authorities.