Awareness of Waste Management in Single-Family and Multi-Family Housing Estates on the Example of Olsztyn

One of the main problems in the context of environmental protection is the increase in the quantity of all types of waste, which is becoming more and more challenging to manage. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the environmental awareness of city residents on the management of waste living in multi-family or single-family housing. The city of Olsztyn was chosen for testing. Two housing estates in Olsztyn were selected for the study, one in single-family housing - Brzeziny, the other in multi-family housing - Osiedle Generalow. The primary variables were measured using a standardised inter-view questionnaire It consisted of 21 closed and open questions. A total of 120 interviews were conducted with adults, 60 in each housing estate. Surveys have confirmed that residents are aware of the waste problems, but some issues require improvement of the environmental awareness and actions at the household level. Most of the respondents did not know the level of waste collection fees. This concerned mainly people living in single-family houses. The majority of the respondents stated that they segregated waste, but the inhabitants of single-family houses were more inclined to do so. The residents of both settlements segregated mainly paper, glass, and plastic. However, only the residents of single-family houses showed full segregation. Organic waste (BIO) was not a problem for the inhabitants of single-family houses (possibility of composting), but in the case of a multi-family building, it can be troublesome, as evidenced by a small percentage of respondents undertaking such actions. In the opinion of respondents from both housing estates, the waste collection and selection system is effective, and waste is collected systematically.