Copenhagen considers cutting household waste bins from seven to four

Several parties on Copenhagen’s city council want to reduce the number of waste bins households must use from seven to four, according to a proposal to be voted on Thursday evening.

The current system requires residents to sort waste into seven categories: bio, plastic, food and drink cartons, metal, glass, paper, and cardboard. Dansk Folkeparti, Venstre, and Liberal Alliance argue this is excessive and have called for an assessment of the costs and feasibility of cutting three bins.

“Waste sorting has gotten out of hand. We’ve spent a lot on campaigns to get people to sort more, yet the sorting rate remains poor,” said Signe Bøgevald Nielsen (LA), a council member. She added that reducing the number of bins would save residents time and space in their homes.

In 2024, Copenhagen’s households sorted 46.3% of their waste, according to municipal figures.

A majority in the council appears to support the proposal, reports Altinget. If approved, metal would be combined with plastic, paper, and cardboard in a single bin.

Enhedslisten and Radikale Venstre oppose the change, insisting on keeping all seven bins. Jakob Skyggebjerg (RV) warned that merging metal with other materials would lead to a 10% loss of metal during processing at sorting facilities.

“We’re in a raging climate crisis. If you buy and consume something, you must also help clean up after yourself,” Skyggebjerg said.