Financing pro-ecological investments in the Częstochowa municipal enterprise

Abstract

The paper presents the opportunities for funding ecological investments with the example of the Czestochowa Municipal Enterprise. Modernizations of facilities and technologies are usually very capitalintensive investments. High costs of operation and changes introduced to programs of waste management have stimulated creation of various forms of support for the enterprises, including companies involved in municipal waste management. Both Poland and the European Union provide financial support to enterprises for ecological and innovative purposes. For nearly 15 years, both national and international programs have offered their support for changes in the system of waste management. The Czestochowa Municipal Enterprise has been successful in meeting legal requirements. Subsidies from the EU operational programs (nearly a third of investments in 2004-2014) allowed for the achievement of a high level of investments. One should emphasize performance of such tasks as municipal waste sorting plant, composting facility, station of bulky waste disassembly, station of construction debris fragmentation or municipal point of dangerous waste collection. 200 points of selective waste collection have been created in the community and educational campaigns were performed concerning waste sorting. Each of these units represents a necessary component of modern and ecological waste management. Nowadays, waste landfills represent modern enterprises with huge economic potential, whereas investments and subsidies allow for the development and building infrastructure of the municipal industry which is essential in development of cities and villages.