Fee for a refuse truck visit without collection (unnecessary collection)
From 1 January 2027, HSY will charge a fee in situations where a refuse truck visits a property but the waste container cannot be emptied. This type of visit is referred to as an unnecessary collection.
An unnecessary collection fee may be charged if:
- the waste container is missing from the emptying point
- the waste container is empty
- the waste container contains incorrect waste and therefore cannot be emptied into the load for that waste type.
If incorrectly sorted waste must be collected as mixed waste, the customer will be charged both the unnecessary collection fee and the mixed waste collection fee.
You can avoid the unnecessary collection fee by ensuring that waste containers are at the emptying point, waste is sorted correctly and the collection frequency matches the property's needs.
On this page, you will find answers to the most common questions about unnecessary collection.
Questions and answers about unnecessary collection
Waste management terms in brief
Unnecessary collection: A situation in which a refuse truck visits a property unnecessarily because the waste container is missing, empty or contains incorrect waste.
Biowaste: Food waste generated in the preparation or serving of food, such as the peels of root vegetables, leftovers, and inedible fruits, berries and cultivated food plants.
Packaging waste: Plastic, carton, glass and metal used to package products.
Mixed waste: Combustible waste that cannot be reused or used as material.
Waste management regulations: The waste management regulations specify the Waste Act and the Waste Decree, adapting the obligations they impose to the municipality’s operating environment. The regulations specify, among other things, the sorting, collection and transport of waste and the prevention of littering. The waste management regulations bind property owners, residents and, in part, other operators in the area. HSY acts as the municipal waste management authority and draws up waste management regulations for Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa and, by agreement, for Kirkkonummi.