The article presents the results of preliminary tests obtained from the analysis of ash coming from the combustion of various types of waste in household furnaces. The aim of this work was to examine the infl uence of various types of waste burned in household furnaces on the elemental composition of the generated ash. As part of the research, analyses of ash generated from the incineration of mixed waste, plastics, wood, textiles, rubber waste and paper were made. The content of selected metal ions: Mn, Cu, Mo, Zn, Cd, Tl, Cr, Co, Ni, As, Sn, Sb, Pb, V was determined in the tested samples, according to PN-EN ISO 17294-2: 2016-11 standard. The highest concentrations of zinc were found in the large-sized waste, rubber and textile ash samples and highest concentrations of copper were found in the plastic and paper ash samples. The highest concentrations for elements such as copper, lead, cobalt and chromium were recorded for samples of rubber and large-sized waste containing e.g. varnished furniture boards. The obtained results showed that depending on the waste incinerated, the content of selected metals was signifi cantly diff erent, and the highest concentrations were noted for samples of large-sized waste, waste from segregated plastics and waste from rubbers.

The development of civilization contributed to the exponential growth in the production of plastics. Policy of the, so-called, “European Green Deal” places particular emphasis on reducing the use of plastics through various mechanisms, including their reuse, recycling and, in particular, the development of new biodegradable and compostable plastics. In order to check if plastics are suitable for biodegradability and compostability they must undergo a series of tests in accordance with applicable standards. The biodegradation test procedures are very general and allow for the use of different temperatures of the biodegradation process in the test. The aim of the research was to evaluate the influence of temperature on the biodegradation process of selected packaging materials. The obtained results show a significant influence of the temperature of the biodegradation process of all 3 tested types of packaging materials: oxy-biodegradable, corn starch and paper. Statistically significant differences in the biodegradation rate of the tested packaging materials were demonstrated in as low as 40°C, despite the low intensity of the process. As the process temperature increased to 45 and 50°C, a statistically significant increase in CO2 productions was recorded. CO2 is produced by the degradation of polymers and is an indicator for this process. At 50°C, the highest decomposition rate, resulting in the highest CO2 production, was recorded in the case of corn starch films. Oxy-biodegradable material showed worst degradation potential what excludes it from composting processes.