New household waste management rules bring Poland on course for a more ambitious recycling target.

Regulations on sorting trash, which came into force as of 1 July, push Poland on a trajectory to up waste recycling to 50 percent.

The country is obliged to adopt the EU norm by 2020. The rules expand the number of disposal containers, which so far included paper, glass and synthetic materials along with metal, to embrace biodegradable waste.

Municipal and rural boroughs have until the end of June 2022 to adjust to the new standards.

The shift is nothing new to many areas in Poland, as up to 50 percent of boroughs have already made the change, deputy environment minister Sławomir Mazurek told journalists at a press conference in the central city of Wieluń.

In 2014 and 2015, Poles recycled no more than 26 percent of their household waste.

(aba/pk)