Waste company issues over 3,000 warnings for incorrect food waste sorting

A waste management company in Ostrobothnia, Finland, has distributed more than 3,300 warning stickers in just four weeks to households incorrectly sorting food waste, Yle reports. Starting next year, improper packaging will result in a €10 penalty fee.

The campaign by Ekorosk, which serves ten municipalities with a total of 33,000 food waste bins, aims to eliminate plastic from biodegradable waste streams. Currently, only about half of residents use approved compostable or paper bags, according to company spokesperson Pia Grankvist.

Inspections reveal that when food waste is placed in plastic bags, only around 70 percent of the contents are correctly sorted—the rest often includes plastic, cardboard, or unopened food packaging. In contrast, compostable bags are over 90 percent accurate, with paper bags reaching 99 percent compliance.

Driver Mikko Hintsala, who has worked for five years collecting waste in Kruunupyy, notes that many households have already improved their sorting after receiving warnings. However, he expresses concern about enforcing fines next year: “It won’t be pleasant to start ‘penalising’ people.”

Ekorosk advises against using black compostable bags, as they are difficult to distinguish from regular plastic waste bags during inspections. The company’s long-term goal is to reduce plastic contamination in organic waste, which ultimately spreads microplastics into nature.