Summary:

Transport and collection costs of mixed municipal solid waste (MSW), have the largest share in the costs structure of municipal waste management. This paper reports the transport costs analysis of MSW collected from the Krakow city and the 20 municipalities bordering the main town of Małopolska Region. There were 6 selected vehicles (garbage trucks) analyzed with similar work characteristics. These vehicles belong to private enterprises dealing with the waste transport. Analyzed data are from the period from June 2010 to June 2013.
The largest share in the structure of the waste transport and collection have fuel costs (37 %) and salaries (40 %). Other costs and enterprises profit represent 23 % of the total transport costs. At the rural areas, the largest share in the costs structure have the salary (44 %), while at the urban area the cost of fuel (47 %). The average unit cost of waste transport and collection from rural areas amount is 187 zł.Mg-1 (44 €.Mg-1) and is higher by 50 zł.Mg-1 (12 €.Mg-1) in relation to the cost of waste transport from the urban areas. The impact on the higher unit costs of waste transport in the rural areas have varied topographic features, scattered housing (need to commute to the property remoted from the main road), road surface condition and the low values of mass and volume accumulation of MSW. High unit cost of waste transport and collection in the rural areas is also associated with the higher salaries (longer operating time of vehicles' crews). Furthermore there is a statistically significant dependence between the unit costs of waste transport and the average weight of transported waste in one course (R = -0.85) and average fuel consumption (R = 0.78). Average fuel consumption (Diesel) per 1 Mg of MSW in rural areas is about 12.1 dm3.Mg-1 and it is higher than in urban areas by an average of 3 dm3.Mg-1. Differences in fuel consumption and unit costs of waste transport and collection from urban and rural areas are statistically significant.