Pirkanmaa Waste Management conducts annual waste sorting study in Finland

Workers clad in white protective suits are methodically opening trash bags at a research tent, where the pungent smell of waste greets visitors at the entrance. Inside, various types of waste are sorted by hand into designated bins. Annually, Pirkanmaa Waste Management conducts a sorting study involving about 100 kilograms of mixed waste, and the contents of each bin are weighed and recorded.

Saana Ojala, the head of quality and development at Pirkanmaa Waste Management, explains that the waste has been randomly collected from various-sized properties across the region. “No individual or residence can be identified from this waste; we’re not digging through anyone’s personal trash,” she clarifies.

The research tent at the Tarastenjärvi waste center has bins set aside for bio-waste, plastics, glass, metal, and garden waste. While this waste may seem out of place in a mixed waste bag, Ojala finds that residents of Pirkanmaa generally recycle well. The study this year particularly focuses on bio-waste and the quality of plastic packaging. Last year, bio-waste comprised 34% of mixed waste, which has decreased to 32.7%. Ojala notes that every piece of bio-waste thrown into the mixed waste constitutes lost energy that could otherwise be converted into biogas for local transport or nutrients for fertilizer.

This year’s sorting study also highlights the decline in mixed plastic waste, attributed to the establishment of more recycling points in residential complexes. According to Maarit Särkilahde, a circular economy expert, while there is still a significant amount of plastic in mixed waste, it is lighter but occupies more space than bio-waste. Särkilahde emphasizes that plastic should primarily be recycled as a material before being considered for energy use.