The Department of Environment is responsible for matters related to the broad scope of environmental protection, including preventing damage to the physical environment and natural resources, as well as actions aimed at repairing or compensating for damages already done. Additionally, it supervises two types of area-based nature protection in the region: landscape parks and protected landscape areas.
In Poland, the obligation to protect the environment is regulated by legal acts, including:
- The Environmental Protection Law Act of April 27, 2001 (Journal of Laws 2024, items 54, 834, 1089, 1222),
- The Nature Protection Act of April 16, 2004 (Journal of Laws 2023, items 1336, 1688, 1890; Journal of Laws 2024, item 1089),
- The Hunting Law Act of October 13, 1995 (Journal of Laws 2023, item 1082),
- The Act of October 3, 2008 on Access to Information on the Environment and its Protection, Public Participation in Environmental Protection, and Environmental Impact Assessments (Journal of Laws 2024, item 1112),
- The Geological and Mining Law Act of June 9, 2011 (Journal of Laws 2024, item 1290),
- The Act of April 24, 2015 on amending certain acts in relation to strengthening landscape protection tools (Journal of Laws 2015, items 774, 1688),
- The Code of Administrative Procedure of June 14, 1960 (Journal of Laws 2024, item 572),
- The Act of March 27, 2003 on Spatial Planning and Development (Journal of Laws 2024, item 1130).
The Department of Environment of the Marshal’s Office in Toruń consists of seven bureaus:
- Environmental Permits Bureau;
- Waste Management Bureau;
- Data Management Bureau;
- Control Bureau;
- Nature Protection and Hunting Bureau;
- Ecological Policy Bureau;
- Geologist’s Bureau.
The Environmental Permits Bureau handles matters related to issuing decisions on the use of the environment, including integrated permits for installations that may cause significant pollution to individual natural elements or the environment as a whole, and sectoral permits for the emission of gases or dust into the air, as well as greenhouse gas emission permits from installations. In addition, it develops local law acts such as Air Protection Programs and Environmental Noise Protection Programs. One of the tasks of the bureau is to review planned projects as part of administrative proceedings for issuing environmental decisions. The bureau also deals with noise protection and electromagnetic field issues.
The Waste Management Bureau primarily handles cases concluded with administrative decisions regarding waste management (waste generation, collection, and processing), by-products, and waste disposal sites (integrated permits, approvals for landfill closures, operational instructions for waste disposal sites). It also handles matters related to municipal waste management in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region and develops, updates, and monitors the regional waste management plan. Another responsibility includes conducting examinations confirming qualifications in waste management.
The Data Management Bureau manages and operates the BDO system (the Database on Products and Packaging and Waste Management), which includes the BDO register. Entities that introduce packaging, products in packaging, lubricating oils, tires, vehicles, batteries, electrical and electronic equipment, and waste management entities must register in the BDO system. The bureau is responsible for registering and updating information in the BDO database, either upon request or by office action. Registered entities are required to submit annual reports through the BDO system on the introduction of products to the Polish market and on waste generation and management.
The Nature and Hunting Protection Bureau’s main tasks include administrative proceedings for issuing permits to remove trees and shrubs on lands in cities with county rights (Toruń, Bydgoszcz, Grudziądz, Włocławek), which involve mandatory site inspections. The bureau also manages hunting administration, including assessing hunting damage and compensating for damages caused by game animals to crops, issuing permits to scare game, and defining hunting district boundaries. The bureau collaborates with other departments and external entities in nature and landscape protection and game management.
The Control Bureau’s primary role is inspecting entities involved in recycling processes and verifying compliance with environmental fees.
The Ecological Policy Bureau focuses on ecological education and nature protection. It handles formal matters related to protected landscape areas and supervises regional landscape parks, which engage in broad ecological education activities aimed at raising public and tourist environmental awareness. The bureau also monitors and coordinates the updating of regional environmental protection programs and assists in the development and implementation of regional development strategies related to sustainable development and environmental protection. Furthermore, it organizes and coordinates educational events, competitions, and awareness campaigns promoting environmental protection, often funded by external sources, including the European Union.
The Geologist’s Bureau implements government tasks related to geology delegated to local governments, primarily concerning the issuance of permits for the extraction of minerals. It also deals with the approval of geological work projects and supervises compliance with geological and mining regulations. The bureau manages the Provincial Geological Archive, which houses over 20,000 geological reports, including deposit development projects and geological work plans. Its activities are governed by the Geological and Mining Law Act of June 9, 2011.