Waste management of holiday homes
Good waste management of a holiday home improves the comfort of the environment. We offer owners of holiday homes in the Helsinki metropolitan area a variety of service options for waste management both on the mainland and in the archipelago. Order waste services from us for at least mixed waste, as well as for any sludge in cesspools and septic tanks.
You can join your holiday home to waste management by:
- ordering the service directly to your own property, even in the archipelago;
- agreeing on the use of a jointly owned waste container with a neighbour, road maintenance association, or another such organisation;
- joining the waste services of a small boat harbour; or
- agreeing on the use of HSY’s regional collection point.
According to the Waste Act, every property used as a permanent dwelling or holiday home must join organised waste transport. The Waste Act obliges holiday homes to join waste management even if the amount of waste generated on the property is low. We also empty septic and closed tanks upon order. We are responsible for the collection and transport of household waste in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and in Kirkkonummi.
Ordering waste services
If your holiday home is located in the Helsinki metropolitan area, order mixed waste services and possible emptying of cesspools and septic tanks from us by contacting our customer service. Please also let us know if you use the waste containers of a small boat harbour, club or association.
If you wish, you can agree with us on the collection of other types of waste as well.
You can rent a waste container from us or buy your own container. The mixed waste container used by one holiday home is usually 140 or 240 litres in size.
You can agree on the use of a jointly owned mixed waste container with your closest neighbours as long as you also let us know about it. We recommend a 660-litre container as the jointly owned waste container of several properties. If necessary, agree on the placement of the waste container with the landowner. For more information about the landowner, please contact the National Land Survey of Finland.
Read more about the use of jointly owned waste containers and fill in the online form for using a jointly owned waste container.
The joint use of waste containers,
Emptying of cesspools and septic tanks,
Regional mixed waste collection points
The mixed waste collection points are located in Porkkala and Långvik in Kirkkonummi and at all Sortti Stations in the Helsinki metropolitan area. The mixed waste collection point is only for daily mixed waste from households. We charge in accordance with the price list for other waste delivered to Sortti Stations, such as furniture. You can agree to become an annual fee customer of a regional mixed waste collection point by calling our customer service. The customer service will send you an order confirmation.
Price lists for water and waste,
Please note that you will need an annual fee card when using a mixed waste collection point at a Sortti Station. You can obtain the card from the Sortti Station by presenting your ID. We will issue the card to the person whose information is in the waste contract.
The regional mixed waste collection points are for daily mixed waste from households. Taking hazardous waste or waste that is not suitable for mixed waste collection due to its large size, exceptional quality or quantity to the mixed waste collection points is not allowed. The exception is Sortti Stations, which also accept other types of waste. Please transport your waste properly sorted and packed to the reception points.
Waste point placement
Place the waste container on a flat and wear-resistant surface. Please note that the emptying location must be permanent. The garbage truck must be able to drive at least within ten metres of the waste container unobstructed.
Some holiday homes are located in places where it is not possible to drive a garbage truck. The road leading to the property may not be able to bear the load of a garbage truck weighing up to 26 tonnes, or there may be no road at all. In this case, the waste container of the holiday home should be placed so that it is not necessary to drive the garbage truck on the road leading to the property or to its yard at all. When choosing a location, it is also worth considering whether there is enough space for the garbage truck to turn around in the vicinity of the container.
The placement of a waste container on land owned by someone else always requires the permission of the landowner. You can inquire about the landowner’s contact details from the National Land Survey of Finland.
For more information about the load-bearing capacity of roads, please contact the parties responsible for their maintenance, such as the road maintenance association.
Holiday homes in summer use
You can enter into a seasonal contract with us if your holiday home is only used during the summer. A seasonal contract means that the mixed waste collection contract is valid in the summertime: weeks 18–40 at minimum. For the winter, we can agree on a longer emptying interval or suspend collection completely. If necessary, you can order additional collections from our customer service.
Please note that personal disposal of waste by incineration is not permitted. Dry brushwood and branches as well as clean, dry, non-impregnated and unpainted timber may be burned in an appropriate fireplace. The burning of plastic waste and open waste incineration are prohibited.
There is no road to my holiday home
Not all holiday homes on the mainland necessarily have a road leading to them, or the road to the property cannot bear the weight of a garbage truck. In this case, you can join as a user of HSY’s regional mixed waste collection point. Waste collection can also be arranged by agreeing on the use of a jointly owned waste container with your closest neighbours and HSY. It is also possible to use the mixed waste container of a small boat harbour if your berth includes use of a mixed waste container.
The joint use of waste containers,
My holiday home is located on an island
There are several different ways to organise waste management in the archipelago. You can place a waste container on the mainland, take advantage of a boat harbour’s waste collection point, or use regional mixed waste collection points. You can also order waste transportation in the archipelago and have your waste container emptied directly on the dock.
Helsinki City Construction Services Stara is in charge of transporting waste from archipelago properties by water. Contact Stara customer service to order a multi-compartment container for packaging and waste collection in the archipelago, tel. +358 (0)9 310 70707 (open Mon–Fri between 8.30 a.m. and 3.30 p.m.).
See the service options in the waste management price list.
Mixed waste container on the mainland
You can arrange your own mixed waste container or one that you use jointly with your closest neighbours on the mainland. Please place the mixed waste container on the mainland so that the garbage truck driver is able to empty the container. The waste container is to be placed in a location where it is possible to drive and turn around a garbage truck weighing almost 26 tonnes.
Place the waste container on a flat surface so that it is easy for the driver to move it about. Please obtain the landowner’s permission before placing the container on the mainland. For more information about the landowner, please contact the National Land Survey of Finland.
Using the waste collection point of a small boat harbour
You can empty the mixed waste of your holiday home located in the archipelago into the mixed waste container of a small boat harbour if your berth fee includes the use of a mixed waste container.
Please let us know that you have become a user of a boat harbour’s waste point so that we can connect your holiday home to organised waste management. Please also contact us if you have ordered waste collection directly from the island.
Using a regional mixed waste collection point
If there is no road to your holiday home, you can become a user of a regional mixed waste collection point. They are located in Porkkala and Långvik in Kirkkonummi and at all Sortti Stations in the Helsinki metropolitan area.
Personal disposal of waste by incineration is not permitted. Dry brushwood and branches as well as clean, dry, non-impregnated and unpainted timber may be burned in an appropriate fireplace. The burning of plastic waste and open waste incineration are prohibited.
The joint use of waste containers,
Sortti Stations,
Waste management of uninhabited holiday homes
If your holiday home is habitable but uninhabited, we can suspend waste management if necessary.
Please note that for a suspension of more than 12 months, you must apply for an exemption from the waste management regulations. According to the Waste Act, all residential properties must join organised waste management.
Waste management of uninhabitable holiday homes
If your holiday home is uninhabitable, you can apply for a longer suspension of more than 12 months for waste transport. In this case, attach a reliable report with photos of the property being uninhabitable to the exemption application.
Please remember to notify the building supervision department of your municipality if your holiday home has been demolished.