Biowaste collection expands to all residential properties in the HSY area

The new waste management regulations will expand the separate collection of biowaste to residential properties of all sizes in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and Kirkkonummi. The reform will improve the sorting opportunities of household waste in approximately 50,000 small properties. The reform will enter into force in stages during 2023–24, and all small property residents will be informed about it well in advance. Independent composting is an alternative to separate collection of biowaste but, in the future, it will require submitting a composting notification. The reform and new service packages make it possible to bring more flexibility to the emptying intervals of mixed and biowaste containers of households. In addition, when the manually movable waste containers owned by the properties reach the end of their life cycle, they will be replaced with HSY's rental containers.

Helsinki Region Environmental Services HSY is revising its waste management regulations to comply with the amendments made to the waste legislation in 2021. The new waste management regulations were sent for a consultation round in early summer and the Board of Directors of HSY approved them in its meeting on 23 September 2022. The updated regulations will improve the sorting opportunities of waste generated by households. The regulations will officially enter into force on 1 November 2022. The most significant change is expanding the separate collection of biowaste also to properties with 1–4 households.

- More precise sorting of biowaste will increase the recycling rate of households and promote the circular economy. Sorting biowaste not only reduces the amount of mixed waste and saves natural resources, but also enhances Finland's self-sufficiency rate,” says Tommi Fred, Executive Director of HSY.

HSY will expand the separate collection of biowaste in stages in the cities of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and Kirkkonummi during 2023–24. This gives the residents time to prepare and allows HSY to implement the extensive change in a controlled manner, securing the functioning of transports and customer service. 

- Of course, a change of this magnitude requires time for adapting. All residents of small properties whose biowaste is not yet collected separately will receive a customer letter from us well before the sorting of biowaste begins to apply to their property,” says Petri Kouvo, Director of Waste Management.

For the separate collection of biowaste, residents can order a service package from HSY, including a traditional or ventilated collection container and its emptying. Alternatively, neighbours can also order common containers for sorting other types of waste collected from properties, allowing them to share their waste management costs. Independent composting in an own composter designed for food waste is an alternative to separate collection of biowaste. Composting requires submitting a composting notification to HSY in accordance with the new Waste Act, but, in this case, the property does not need to order a separate collection container.

Efficient sorting saves the environment, and a suitable waste service package can even save money 

The new waste management regulations also allow the emptying intervals of waste containers to be changed. This allows property owners to order more cost-efficiently and flexibly than before the kind of waste containers and emptying intervals that best suit their needs.

Until now, small properties in the HSY area of operation have mainly collected mixed waste only. When residents actively sort biowaste and packaging waste (plastic, carton, glass and small metal waste), the interval between emptying the mixed waste container can be extended to eight or even 16 weeks. Packaging waste can be collected on the property or at Rinki eco take-back points.

In the near future, all manually movable waste containers owned by the properties will be replaced with HSY's rental containers when the old containers need to be replaced. Waste containers are automatically included in the new service packages.

- The new stock of uniform containers helps guarantee the occupational safety of garbage truck drivers and the smooth running of collection operations. The rental containers are included in the collection fees, so the reform does not require any extra effort from the residents,” Kouvo says.

The revisions made in the new waste management regulations in a nutshell 

• In the future, the sorting of biowaste will apply to properties of all sizes, including those with 1–4 households. The changes will enter into force in stages: Espoo, Kauniainen and Kirkkonummi on 1 July 2023, Vantaa on 1 January 2024, and Helsinki on 1 July 2024.  
• The residents will be informed of the changes well in advance by means of customer letters to be sent in November 2022 (Espoo, Kauniainen and Kirkkonummi), spring 2023 (Vantaa) and autumn 2023 (Helsinki). The residents do not need to react to the reform in any way before the letter arrives.  
• Having an own composter is an alternative to separate collection of biowaste, but it requires submitting a composting notification to the waste management authority. The notification obligation does not apply to composting of garden waste only. 
• The obligation to collect biowaste separately does not apply to holiday homes. However, if holiday homes compost any food or toilet biowaste, they will also need to file a composting notification. 
• On small properties, the emptying intervals of mixed waste containers can be made more flexible when residents sort biowaste and packaging waste separately and when only small amounts of mixed waste are generated. It is possible to have shared waste containers with neighbours, and it is even recommended to minimise costs.
• In addition, when the manually movable waste containers owned by the properties reach the end of their life cycle, they will be replaced with HSY's rental containers. This guarantees improved occupational safety, smooth running of emptying services and efficient replacement of broken containers, making the process effortless for the residents as well.