Alicji Wiater

Why is it so important to develop pro-ecological attitudes among the youngest?

Kubuś’s Friends of Nature is a nationwide educational program that was created on the initiative of the Maspex group for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals related to the protection of the natural environment and climate through ecological education. It is addressed to pre-school children and students of early childhood education (grades 1-3 of primary school). For 15 years, thanks to practical classes, interactive lessons and field games, children all over Poland have been able to learn about the principles of environmental protection free of charge and in an interesting way, as well as learn respect for plants and animals, recycling, proper nutrition and spending time actively in harmony with nature .

Interzero, as a long-term partner of the action, supports the development of pro-environmental attitudes among the youngest. In the latest publication of Kubuś’s Friends of Nature on the practical application of ecological knowledge in the field, Monika Grom, Vice-President of the Management Board and Interzero expert , explains why it is so important to develop pro-ecological attitudes in early childhood.

“Nature awakens the child’s sensitivity to the destruction of the environment, stimulates curiosity and allows them to acquire competences to act for the benefit of the planet. Only thanks to conscious education and the development of a child’s impact on the environment, he will assume responsibility for the fate of the Earth, future generations and will be ready to take action in the field of ecology. That is why environmental education in the early years of life is so important. All actions in the field of environmental protection that parents and teachers at school will take together with children will have a significant impact on the condition of the planet in the years to come.”

Over 1,200,000 children from all over Poland took part in the 15th edition of the program (2022/2023).

We invite you to read the entire material HERE

Publication of the law transposing the SUP Directive

A week ago, May 9, 2023 an act implementing the provisions of the SUP (Single Use Plastics) directive was published, which means that the regulations will come into force soon.

The regulations focus mainly on imposing restrictions and requirements related to the marketing and use of single-use products made of plastics, and on the selective collection of waste resulting from these products, and introduce the following obligations:

• Marking some products with symbols, used e.g. on cups containing plastics.
• Imposing new types of fees for specific plastic products, such as an end-user fee per package, a fee for collection, cleaning and transport, and a fee for public education campaigns.
• For beverage cups and food containers, provide reusable or non-plastic alternative packaging from July 1, 2024.
• Use recycled plastic in bottles.
• Achieving minimum levels of waste collection of beverage packaging in the form of single-use plastic bottles with a capacity of up to 3 liters,
• Reporting all activities by the BDO system.

The full text of the act is available HERE

Interzero Polska is the official distributor of Sielaff bottling machines!

We are pleased to announce that Interzero Polska has become the official distributor of Sielaff devices.

Last week, we established cooperation with a reputable supplier of collection systems for disposable and reusable packaging in the food sector.

As a leader in the industry, we are fully prepared to provide services to entities affected by the deposit-refund system in Poland. Currently, we have already started testing the machines for accepting returns in commercial units.

Bottle machines have a significant impact on increasing the efficiency of the recycling process. By accepting and properly sorting empty bottles, we facilitate their further processing or enable their reuse.

This solution not only reduces the costs associated with the recovery and segregation of materials, but also speeds up the entire process.

We encourage you to start collecting packaging together with our support. Feel free to contact us!

Download press release HERE

Get on your bike! Join the Bicycle May action!

It’s the most beautiful month of the year! This is a good opportunity to spend time actively.

Cycling May is the largest initiative in Poland that encourages children, primary school students, teachers, parents and guardians to promote a healthy lifestyle and sustainable mobility.

Cycling Maj promotes the use of a bicycle as a means of transport to school and teaches good habits that remain with children after the end of the campaign. The action contributes to reducing the number of cars delivering children and motivates local governments to invest in bicycle infrastructure, which effectively changes the vicinity of schools and kindergartens to be safer and more friendly to cyclists.

As a partner of the campaign, we will donate 120 of our EkoPaks to the most active outlets. Thanks to this, we want to spread knowledge about raw materials and ecology among the youngest.

We cordially encourage all children and adults to join the campaign! Details HERE .

And next month, on June 18 , there will be a family picnic summarizing the campaign in Herbert Park in Bielany! See you!

Do you already know everything about the product fee and extended producer responsibility?

The product fee is a type of ecological fee that must be paid by entrepreneurs who place products, packaging, oils, tires, electrical and electronic equipment, batteries and accumulators on the market. The purpose of this fee is to ensure proper handling of packaging waste in accordance with the Waste Act and to encourage entrepreneurs to reduce the amount of packaging produced.

If you want to learn more about this obligation, we encourage you to watch the training “Does the product fee apply to your company?” at Interzero Academy!

During the training you will learn:

• What is the product fee,
• What is Extended Producer Responsibility,
• You will learn the requirements for entrepreneurs related to ROP.

Watch the training HERE

Integration trip of the Interzero team on May 11-12, 2023.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On 11-12 May this year. we integrate in our team on a company trip.

Therefore, we kindly inform you that on these days our branches will be closed and contact with our employees will be difficult.

We return to work on Monday, May 15.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.

Team Interzero

Take part in the training – Transport of medical waste in accordance with the provisions of the ADR Agreement

We cordially invite you to the webinar entitled “Transport of medical waste in accordance with the provisions of the ADR Agreement”, which will take place on May 18, 2023 (Thursday).

The online training will be conducted by: Magdalena Gepert , Specialist in transport of dangerous goods.

The scope of the webinar:

• classification of medical waste,
• medical waste as dangerous goods,
• preparation of medical waste for transport,
• legal requirements for medical waste packaging,
• appointing a consultant the safety of the transport of dangerous goods.

A detailed thematic scope and the registration page can be found at the link HERE

Registration for the webinar lasts until: May 18, 2023, 8:00 am.

We invite you!

Selective collection of municipal waste in a minimum (i.e. 5-container) system is the responsibility of each of us and results from the provisions of the Act. What does it look like in households? Nearly 90% of respondents divide waste into glass, metals and plastics, slightly less into paper (84%), and only 62% bio-waste. 26% admit that they have trouble choosing the right container. Most of the respondents know how to handle a glass bottle or yogurt container. While simple, mono-material packaging does not raise any doubts, the situation is different with a broken glass (74% of incorrect answers), a beverage carton (49% of incorrect answers), a used paper towel or a receipt (53% and 71% of incorrect answers, respectively).

The source of knowledge on how to deal with used packaging should be, among others, its label, but although 90% of respondents read it, only 15% look for tips on how to throw it away. When shopping, Poles often check the composition, parameters and properties of products, but they pay much less attention to other symbols on the packaging. Most often, the respondents are interested in the expiration date (85%) and the composition of the product (76%). Aspects related to ecology, such as the country of origin, certificates, instructions for handling packaging or its recyclability, are of interest to a definite minority.

Nearly 40% of respondents believe that product packaging contains too much information, which makes it difficult for them to find what they are looking for. Polish consumers also have a problem with correctly identifying packaging symbols. The recycling stamp, which is included in the Polish regulation on packaging marking, is recognized by only 11% of respondents. Even fewer people (8% of the respondents) encountered the labeling of reusable products and compostable packaging. Only two symbols are widely known among consumers – the international recycling mark – the Möbius Strip and “keep clean” – the so-called. TidyMan.

The report “Are we getting into trouble? – what Poles know about packaging and how they deal with waste segregation” is available at this link .