The changes in the waste management system that have been introduced in Europe and in the world were aimed at counteracting the emergence of illegal dumping sites and increasing the levels of waste recovery and recycling, so that waste management remains in line with the principles of sustainable development and circular economy. The change introduced in 2013 in the municipal waste management system in Poland concerned the assumption of full responsibility by municipalities for the municipal waste collected from owners of residential properties, as well as the establishment and organization of a charging system for residents for the collection and management of the waste. The purpose of the study was to conduct a comparative analysis of fees paid by residents of 93 selected communes of the Lubelskie Province. The study examined the impact of the amount of fees for the waste collection and management on the share of households declaring selective municipal waste collection, the share of selectively collected waste, and the mass accumulation rate of municipal waste. As a result of the analysis conducted using the data from the years 2013-2016, it was revealed that the amount of fees for the collection and management of waste in households that sorted waste contributed significantly to the increase in the percentage of selectively collected waste. Similarly, the smaller the value of the ratio of rates for sorted and mixed waste, the greater the segregation efficiency. This indicates that in the case of the analyzed region, the lower fee charged for sorting waste was an incentive for residents to sort waste.

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Excessive concentrations of smog toxicants constitute a critical factor influencing the health quality of inhabitants of urban agglomerations. The exposure to elevated concentrations of suspended particulate matter, sulfur dioxide (SO 2), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) and carbon monoxide (CO) is associated with an increase of adverse health effects. Prolonged exposure to air pollution, especially from low emission, may be linked not only to a greater risk of developing cancer of the respiratory system, or cardiovascular morbidity but also to the increased frequency of admissions to hospitals and emergency units as well as medical consultations in surgeries and outpatient clinics. The issue was investigated using the city of Cracow as an example. Attempts were made to find the connection between air pollution in the city of Cracow and the frequency of hospitalization and medical consultations of patients (registered in the city) due to lung and bronchial malignancy and cardiac dysrhythmia taking into account the data from the years 2010-2016 submitted by the Malopolska Regional Branch of the National Health Fund.

The paper presents an analysis of proecological activities undertaken by the management of the Municipality of Sucha Beskidzka. The activities aimed at limiting the low emission and, consequently, at introducing low-carbon economy in the area. The municipality is determined to phase out the burning of fossil fuels and replace it with cleaner and safer energy sources, which is supposed to contribute to the reduction of PM 10 and PM 2.5 particulate matter emissions and air pollution. In order to combat the problem of low emission, the municipality developed a Low Emission Reduction Programme (LERP) in 2014. The town of Sucha Beskidzka also participates in the Life Program and as part of it, an eco-adviser has been employed. The implementation of LERP has been reflected in the Area Development Plan of the municipality. The actions taken by the local government to protect air are effective. The Municipality of Sucha Beskidzka was one of the two municipalities in the entire Malopolska province which fully implemented the Air Protection Program for the years 2013-2015. In the years 2014-2016 as many as 103 buildings underwent thermo-modernization. In 2016 RES (solar installations) were installed in 402 detached houses. In the period 2014-2016, 1055 coal boilers were dismantled and replaced by gas boilers or class 5 boilers.