The study presents the issue of communal waste management in rural areas, on the example of Pomorskie Province. From 1st July 2013, the duties specified by the Act of 1st July 2011 changing the previous Act concerning keeping the boroughs clean (and some other acts), the boroughs take over the duty of waste management in return for fees from individuals who produce the waste (residents). According to data from the Provincial Inspectorate of Environmental Protection in Gdańsk, in 2012 and 2013 many boroughs failed to reach recycling target levels, i.e. preparation for reuse, recovery of certain parts of communal waste by alternative methods and limitation in the volume of biodegradable communal waste, as specified in the Act. Waste storage directly influences the natural environment, therefore it has become so important to limit the volume of waste and to sensibly appoint the locations of landfills. As of 31st December 2012, there were 34 active landfills in Pomorskie Province.