Collection yards of Prague Services received 50,000 tons of waste last year, which is a year-on-year increase

Last year, the people of Prague took 50,570 tons of waste to the ten collection yards managed by Prague Services (PSAS), an increase of 5,901 tons year-on-year. The number of visits rose by 15,490 to 231,581. This was reported by PSAS spokesman Alexandr Komarnický. The company, which is owned by the capital city, operates half of the 20 collection yards in the metropolis, and according to the spokesman, people took roughly 34,000 tons of waste to the rest.

The largest collection company in Prague registers a growing interest of residents in using the services of the ten collection yards in the capital that it operates. In them, it is possible to dispose of selected types of waste that do not belong in traditional dustbins for free and without any worries. The company has recently extended their Saturday opening hours, effective from May this year.

The total volume of waste at collection yards operated by Prague Services has been growing for several years in a row. Last year, people brought a total of 50,570 tons of it here. With this, the number of visitors also rises, which rose to just over 231,000 last year.

“Our workers always carefully record the type of waste and then direct citizens to the correct container. These are often materials that can be reused, so we send them to processors for recycling. Unfortunately, this is not possible for some commodities, so we take them to ZEVO Malešice for energy use,” explained Alexandr Komarnický, the spokesperson of the municipal company.

The company, in cooperation with the capital city, responds to the higher number of visitors to the collection yards with longer opening hours on Saturdays, when citizens will be able to take waste there from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., just like on weekdays. In winter time from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The new regime will come into effect from May.

“Please note that their gates will continue to be closed on Sundays and public holidays. The change is favorable to those who want to get rid of a large amount of waste, old furniture, large electrical appliances, tires, construction debris and the like later on Saturday afternoon,” added Komarnický.

The extended opening hours so far apply to ten collection yards in the capital, which are taken care of by Prague Services. These are those in Zakrytá, Klikátá, Puchmajerova, Proboštská, Pod Šancemi, Generála Šišky, Za Zastávkou, Jilemnická, Podnikatelská and Bečovská streets. For the others, which are run for the capital by other companies or organizations of city districts, the change in opening hours is still being prepared.

“Our goal is to ensure the operation of a sufficiently large network of collection yards with a comparable standard throughout the city. Collection yards are crucial for the disposal and subsequent processing of municipal waste, among other things it is a tool for eliminating the occurrence of black landfills,” said Deputy Mayor for the Environment Jana Komrsková (Piráti).

Second chance for waste

Re-use points are part of the six collection yards of the Prague Services, where you can drop off unnecessary things that would otherwise end up in the bins. “Re-use points are an integral part of the circular economy. They allow you to give things a second chance. They thus confirm the saying that what is trash for one person can be a treasure for another,” reminded the company’s press spokesman Alexandr Komarnický.

“Items received at the re-use point will appear in the Nevyhazujto application and on the website praho.nevyhazujto.cz, where citizens can reserve and then pick them up. From September 2023, we are testing the functioning of the re-use point at the collection yard in Generála Šišky Street in a modified mode that is friendlier for citizens. You just need to come here for anything without the need to reserve a subject in advance,” he added.

Last year, Prague opened two new collection yards in Klikátá Street in Prague 5 and U Plynárny in Prague 10. According to its earlier statement, the city wants to further expand the network. Yards most often end up with old furniture, retired appliances, construction debris from minor renovations or old tires.