BEST-EKO operates in Rybnik in the Silesian Voivodeship in the south of Poland. The new owner will cooperate with the original shareholder, Grzegorz Pilarski, who retains a 10% stake in the company, on the further management and development of the company. Olga Gesiarz Kalinowska, who has more than 20 years of experience in waste management, has become the new CEO of the company.

“The entry of WOOD & Company as a strong investment partner into BEST-EKO is an important milestone for its further development. We want to make the most of the synergies between the two companies. I would also like to thank our transaction advisors JP Weber for ensuring a highly competitive process, as well as our legal advisors from Kancelaria Radcy Prawnego Katarzyna Słupska,” says Grzegorz Pilarski.

“Thanks to the use of modern technologies and innovative procedures, BEST-EKO ensures almost 100% recycling of input waste and thus significantly contributes to the reduction of landfilling and the greening of waste management in the region. I believe it will be a successful investment for WOOD & Company,” says Olga Gesiarz Kalinowska.

For WOOD & Company Waste Management Fund, this is a crucial step in its planned strategy of international expansion and investment in advanced technologies in the waste management sector. “For us, the acquisition of BEST-EKO means not only entering a new foreign market, but also investing in modern and green waste recycling technology, which underlines our strategy of building a sustainable and integrated group with a significant position within the waste management industry in the CEE region,” adds Martin Šmigura, Local Partner of WOOD & Company in Slovakia.

The KOSIT group of companies provides waste management and recovery services for the municipal sector and comprehensive services for industrial and commercial customers. In addition to the waste-to-energy plant (ZEVO) in Košice or the biogas plant for recycling biological waste, the KOSIT Group operates several end-of-life facilities in Slovakia and employs more than 1,300 employees.

Článok WOOD & Company acquires BEST-EKO je zobrazený ako prvý na KOSIT.

This is the beginning of the first phase of the disposal of more than 150 tonnes of PCB substances, which have been temporarily stored in 17 containers in the premises of the building called the. Tricky. The transport will take place at approximately weekly intervals over the next three months.

The complex logistics of the whole operation is provided by DETOX s.r.o., a member of the KOSIT group, which won the public tender announced by the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic.

“We have thoroughly sorted all the waste by type and level of contamination. In the first batch, we take away bulk materials with maximum PCB content. The combustion will take place at a temperature of at least 1 100 °C,” said Daniel Studený, managing director of the company.

Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba described the start of the collection as a historic milestone. “With this step, Slovakia is finally beginning to come to terms with the ecological legacy of the past. I believe that major decisions will also be taken in this area on building domestic capacity for hazardous waste disposal,” he added.

The Ministry of the Interior, in cooperation with the police, ensures security measures during transit across the entire territory of the Slovak Republic.

The Mayor of Strážske Patrik Magdoško welcomed the beginning of the physical removal of hazardous substances from the territory of the town:

“As someone who has been involved in this issue for many years, I am genuinely pleased that the first truck is finally leaving our territory. We will also demand screening of residents for the presence of PCBs in their bodies and possible compensation for affected communities.”

Short video reportage, Daniel Studený, managing director of DETOX s. r. o.

Článok First truck with PCB waste left Strážske je zobrazený ako prvý na KOSIT.

Fúra, now KOSIT EAST, provides services to more than 550 municipalities, representing approximately 350,000 inhabitants. The brand transformation is underway from June 2025 and is accompanied by extensive investments in technology and fleet.

KOSIT Group plans to invest EUR 15 million in Eastern Slovakia in the next three years. Investments will be directed to the renewal and expansion of the fleet, the construction of processing lines, the development of smart technologies and the construction of end facilities, including technological solutions for the mechanical-biological treatment of waste prior to landfilling.

“Fura has a huge potential that we want to develop further. The logistics and infrastructure are functional but require modernisation and new investment. That’s why we decided to take this step,” adds Lucia Šprinc.

KOSIT has long drawn attention to the unsustainability of financing waste from the public budgets of municipalities. As CEO Šprinc points out, the future lies in targeted payments based on the actual amount of waste produced.

“Municipalities and cities are gradually losing the ability to subsidise waste services. The only sustainable solution is to pass the costs directly to the producer, i.e. the inhabitant. As with electricity or gas, waste should be paid according to actual consumption,” he explains.

To increase efficiency and fairness, the company is introducing container chipping, waste weighing and the KOSIT Online app for municipalities and residents. The aim is to provide an overview of clusters, reports and optimisation opportunities.

Digitisation is not just about big cities. KOSIT plans to gradually introduce GPS modules in all collection vehicles and to equip the garbage bins with chips that will allow accurate scanning of the route and waste collection. “We are interested in digitalizing the entire waste management process, even in smaller municipalities. However, it all depends on the readiness and cooperation of local governments. Where there is willingness, we progress faster,” says Šprinc.

The company is also responding to the lack of infrastructure for the final recovery of waste in Slovakia. New facilities face hurdles in the permitting processes and infrastructure development is stalling. The company therefore also offers solutions where the state is failing. For example, in the removal of black dumps.

“We offer our clients the option of removing illegal dumps on instalments. We will dispose of the landfill immediately, deferring payment for two years and then spreading it over the next four years. In this way we want to confirm that a strong and reliable partner makes sense for local governments,” concludes Lucia Šprinc.

Článok Fura changes to KOSIT EAST je zobrazený ako prvý na KOSIT.

When and where?

The collection will take place Saturday 24 May and 31 May 2025 , according to a set schedule in eight circuits in different parts of the city. The collection vehicle will be parked at the designated locations for 90 minutes at a time.

A detailed collection schedule, including specific locations and vehicle drop-off times, can be found here.

An infographic with an overview of what is and is not hazardous waste can be found here.

What can you pass on?

Collection is for small quantities of household hazardous waste – for example:

• solvents, thinners (up to 5 litres),

• fluorescent lamps, neon tubes, incandescent lamps (max. 10 pcs),

• paint (up to 50 kg),

• engine oils (up to 10 litres),

• batteries, accumulators, toners,

• pressure vessels (sprays),

• medical devices containing mercury,

• rags and clothing contaminated with hazardous substances.

Waste should be brought in flasks, bottles or plastic bags – not drums.

What are we not collecting?

Examples of waste that cannot be handed over include:

• electrical appliances,

• pharmaceuticals,

• biodegradable waste,

• water dilutable paints,

• building mixtures, plasters.

Another option: collection yards

Hazardous waste can also be handed in throughout the year in any of the six KOSIT collection yards in the territory of the city of Košice.

Článok Spring collection of household hazardous waste je zobrazený ako prvý na KOSIT.

“We start spring cleaning especially in this period and during weekends. In order to meet the needs of the residents and at the same time to reduce the pressure on the collection yards on Saturdays, when they are visited to a greater extent, we will temporarily open the collection yards on Sundays during the month of May. I believe that this step will also contribute to responsible waste management. The amount of municipal waste sorted is increasing every year, and over the past three years the level of sorting has already increased to 34%, an increase of one third. The collection yards, which are increasingly used by the citizens of Košice, also play a role in this,” explained Mayor Jaroslav Polaček (independent).

The standard opening hours of the collection yards during the summer period (1 April – 30 September) are Monday to Saturday from 7.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. During public holidays 1. a 8. All collection yards will be closed in May.

You hand in your waste free of charge

There is no additional charge for City residents to drop off their waste at the collection yards. The operation of collection yards is reflected in the municipal waste charge.

According to the law, every waste producer must deliver bulky and small construction waste to a collection yard. It is used to collect various types of waste, including bulky waste, small construction waste, biological waste from gardens, such as branches, grass and leaves, plastics, paper, glass, edible oils and fats, batteries, clothes and textiles, etc. Details of the types of waste accepted are published at the entrance to the collection yard and on the websites kosit.sk and kosice.sk.

Gardeners’ organisations can order a large-capacity container free of charge through the relevant municipality if it contains only green waste. Such waste will be taken away free of charge if the container is under their supervision and responsibility, e.g. under the supervision of an authorized employee of the Municipality. They can also take the waste to a collection yard.

Článok Collection yards will be open every Sunday in May je zobrazený ako prvý na KOSIT.

The new facility provides the city’s residents with another comfortable place to hand over waste that does not belong in the black collection bins at apartment buildings or family houses and will contribute to a more efficient waste management system for Kosice and Kosice residents.

The collection yard is used for the collection of various types of waste, including bulky waste, small construction waste, biological waste from gardens (such as branches, grass and leaves), plastics, paper, glass, edible oils and fats, batteries, clothes and textiles, etc. The aim is also to increase the availability of collection points and reduce the potential waiting time for entry at peak times, in view of the spring household cleaning.

The newly opened collection yard has modern technical equipment and an efficient waste sorting system. Visitors to the collection yard, as with other collection yards in Košice, can hand in waste within the scope of valid permits without additional fees. The operation of collection yards is reflected in the municipal waste charge.

Summer opening hours are from 7:00 to 18:00 every day except Sunday. Details of the types of waste accepted are posted at the entrance to the collection yard and also HERE.

Marián Christenko, CEO of KOSIT a.s.: “KOSIT invites citizens to use the collection yards and thus contribute to the cleanliness of the city and sustainable waste management.”

COLLECTION YARDS IN KOSICE:

• NEW Collection yard Jarmočná 2, Košice – South
• Collection yard Pri bitúnku 11, Košice – South
• Collection yard Popradská, Košice – West
• Collection yard Magnezitárska 11/A, Košice – Ťahanovce
• Collection yard Železiarenská 49, Košice – Šaca
• Collection yard Napájadlá 17/A, Košice – Nad jazerom

Článok Another collection yard for Košice je zobrazený ako prvý na KOSIT.