Waste management innovation underway in Kymenlaakso as drivers label bins with incorrectly sorted waste

Kymenlaakson Jäte is experimenting with a new method to reduce the amount of incorrectly sorted waste ending up in landfill. In the regions of Kotka, Kouvola, and Pyhtää, around 400 property managers have received a letter informing them of the introduction of red tape for waste containers.

During waste collection, drivers visually inspect bins designated for organic and packaging waste to ensure proper sorting. Packaging waste includes cardboard, glass, metal, and plastic. If, for instance, a plastic packaging bin contains pizza boxes or a cardboard bin has fish scraps, the driver must classify the container’s contents as landfill waste, explains communication expert Suvi Ignatius from Kymenlaakson Jäte.

Drivers will place a red label on bins with incorrectly sorted waste, indicating that the bin should not be used. Incorrect waste can contaminate the entire load. Previously, waste collectors inspected bins superficially before emptying them. If a bin contained inappropriate waste, the driver would leave it unemptied and report it to the waste management company, which would then send another truck for collection. However, Ignatius notes that there can be delays in processing such notifications.

Non-compliant waste can compromise the quality of recycled materials and hinder further processing. The red label serves as a signal to both waste collectors and users that there is room for improvement in sorting at the property. The waste management company will continue to charge a “wrong sorting fee” for bins that cannot be emptied due to sorting errors, with fees varying by municipality—approximately 4 to 5 euros in Kymenlaakso.

Currently, around 100 bins contain incorrectly sorted waste each month in Kymenlaakso, representing only about 0.3% of all collections. According to Ignatius, this labeling practice is a first in Finland, stemming from suggestions by drivers looking to streamline the process.