As the number of tourists visiting Bieszczady increases, so does the amount of rubbish. From 01.01.2020, waste segregation is compulsory in Poland. Unfortunately, the established waste collection procedures do not take into account local conditions, such as the presence of bears. Despite written orders to place out bags containing the segregated waste only on the day of collection issued by the municipal management companies, the practice most often looks different. The collection of the different waste bags is done according to the specifications in the contract signed by each municipality and takes place (depending on the season) on a monthly, bi-weekly or weekly basis, resulting in the need to accumulate rubbish by the owners in their properties. In addition, the days when the rubbish is picked up are not matched with the peak of waste production, e.g. in one of the Bieszczady municipalities rubbish is collected on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and most waste is produced at weekends, when the region is visited by tourists, people on holidays, anglers, cottage owners, etc. Often, they leave their rubbish (mostly unsorted) at official or unofficial collection points, where it remains for several days. At the same time, the paid collection of biodegradable waste results in these being deposited in provisional and unprotected compost piles or just simply dumped in the forest or roadside ditches.
The practices described above cause that wildlife, including bears, is being lured to human settlements in search of easy food in the form of waste or rubbish. This is a risky practice that we need to care about, as it is well known that the use of such food sources by bears is one of the main factors conditioning them to food of anthropogenic origin. This means that bears get used to eating human food and household waste. Finally, because human food is generally found in close proximity to humans, food conditioning is commonly associated with habituation to humans, meaning that bears will not fear human presence, in contrast to their common behavior of avoiding humans. In conclusion, the current waste management /process negatively affects the behaviour of bears and other wildlife and increases the risk of human-wildlife conflict. An improved timing of waste collection, as well as securing rubbish against wildlife, for example by protecting rubbish containers with a (electric) fence or using bear-proof bins, are urgently needed in Bieszczady.
The photos were taken in Olchowiec (Czarna commune) and Polańczyk (Solina commune) in June and July 2023.
by Robert Gatzka