Geminor expands waste management presence in Poland

Earlier this spring, Geminor, a Norwegian resource management company, opened a Polish office and appointed Andrzej Zientarski as its country manager. The resource management company’s presence in Poland comes as a response to the booming waste market in Poland. 

According to a news release from Geminor, Poland has become an important country in terms of waste management in Eastern Europe. With extensive production of furniture in Poland, there is a need for recycled waste wood in that nation. Geminor reports that it’s taking part in this resourcing by delivering treated waste wood from Norway, Sweden and Germany. 

The company reports that it sees a growing energy recovery sector in the production of district heating and electricity, as well as cement. Geminor reports that there are about 10 energy-from-waste plants in Poland today, but this number is expected to double in about two years.

“Today, Poland is landfilling 45 percent of its waste, which is not ideal,” Zientarski says. “The challenges are mainly related to the Polish waste producers’ lacking ability to sort and deliver quality waste, combined with pricing, gauge fee issues and political will. These factors have made Poland a receiving country for European waste and have given the country the nickname ‘European China.’ At the same time, the development is positive. Poland has been experiencing a permanent GDP growth since its transformation in 1989, mainly thanks to the country’s industrialization. We are now seeing the emergence of numerous state-of-the-art recycling facilities.”

The company’s CEO Kjetil Vikingstad adds that he hopes to further expand Geminor’s presence in Poland.

“By being present in several European markets we can offer the services both waste producers and off-takers in Poland are interested in: Reliable, stable deliveries and professional support,” Vikingstad says. 

“The national markets in Europe, like the Polish, are in constant change—which increases the demand for professional waste management services: Factors such as waste quality and steady supply—regardless of season – will be increasingly important.”