The project “Zgierz – a modern city after hours” significantly helped in the professional assessment of what we are dealing with at the Zgierz landfills left behind by the former “Boruta” plants. Scientific reports have been prepared, precisely indicating both the costs and the scope of the necessary recultivation of these areas.
The problem of the dangerous contents of the landfills left by the Boruta plant is causing sleepless nights not only for the inhabitants of Zgierz, but also – and perhaps above all – for the city authorities. The City of Zgierz is doing everything it can to finally get rid of the annoying neighborhood. The huge costs of complete recultivation of the abandoned landfills exceed the entire city budget many times: to cope with the problem, financial support from external institutions is needed.
One of the projects of the “Zgierz – modern city after hours” project is to determine the current state of unreclaimed waste landfills, their impact on the environment, as well as the technology and costs of their recultivation. Already in September 2022, the Mayor of Zgierz, Przemysław Staniszewski, signed an agreement with the contractor of the first tests enabling the assessment of the contents of landfills. MGGP Aero Sp. z o. o. from Tarnów, selected through a tender for the amount of approximately PLN 300,000. PLN, conducted research until December 2022 using modern technologies: aerial remote sensing and georadar. – Experts will provide knowledge about landfills, which will allow us to determine what actions will be taken in the future: whether it will be better to only secure these landfills or perhaps their partial or complete liquidation – said the Mayor of Zgierz, Przemysław Staniszewski then.
During the meeting (December 14, 2022) at the Zgierz City Hall, devoted to the presentation of the results of research conducted from spring to November 2022, detailed maps and spatial charts of the diagnosed area were presented. According to scientists, the next stage of the process aimed at reclamation of the “Boruta” landfill area should be collecting soil samples to determine to what extent the contamination of the area with heavy metals may be dangerous to the environment. It was therefore necessary to determine the impact that the identified contents of landfills have on the surroundings, and to indicate the methods and costs of recultivation.
The contract for the continuation of research on the landfills of the Boruta plant was signed on July 26, 2023. According to its content, specialists from the Research Network “Łukasiewicz – Łódź Institute of Technology” were responsible for preparing the study under the detailed title: “Determination of the impact on the environment and the technology and costs of reclamation of unreclaimed waste landfills located on properties located in Zgierz at Miroszewska Street, Łukasińskiego Street and Andrzeja Struga Street”. They presented the results of their research, including recommended reclamation technology and forecast costs, in December 2023.
The authors of the report presented information on the amount, types and properties of waste intended for and stored. They also estimated the areas of individual landfills. They presented the results of tests of water samples taken from piezometers and the Bzura River, leachate from landfills and soil. They identified and assessed environmental threats, taking into account the use of the latest technologies for rapid response to uncontrolled emissions of pollutants. Digital tools were proposed – sensors for monitoring the landfill. The analysis of the results gave the researchers the opportunity to select waste disposal methods and to estimate the costs and possible sources of financing.
Importantly, the report is consistent with the provisions of the Act on large-scale degraded areas, which entered into force on September 12, 2023, and which covered, among others, our city. The efforts of the mayor of Zgierz and the authorities of Bydgoszcz, Jaworzno, Tarnowskie Góry and Tomaszów Mazowiecki to cover waste landfills in the areas of the above-mentioned local governments with a special act that would enable solving problems related to their presence lasted several years.
– The report will constitute the basis for the city authorities to take further administrative and legal steps and to prepare for obtaining funds provided for in the Act (including from the KPO), which is to be used for the recultivation of post-industrial areas. This is a concrete step towards the goal I set for myself – the report is based on reliable and up-to-date scientific research results – said the mayor of the city, Przemysław Staniszewski.
A precise examination of the contents of hazardous landfills after the Boruta plant in Zgierz and the determination of further steps for their reclamation were possible thanks to the participation of the City of Zgierz in the “Local Development” Project co-financed by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 and the EEA Financial Mechanism 2014-2021.
