Waste management regulations

A garbage truck emptying a waste container.

Waste management regulations are provisions that specify legislation, such as the Waste Act and the Waste Decree. The regulations concern, for example, the sorting, collection, and transport of waste as well as the prevention of littering.  The waste management regulations for the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and Kirkkonummi apply to all residents of Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen, Vantaa and Kirkkonummi, as well as other operators within the scope of the waste management organised by HSY.

The current regulations officially entered into force on 1 November 2022, with the exception of transition periods for the new sorting obligations for biowaste, announced separately.

The most important changes in the waste management regulations

  • The waste management regulations require sorting of biowaste from residential properties of all sizes, even properties with 1–4 households. The revisions concerning the collection of biowaste entered into force in stages: Espoo, Kauniainen and Kirkkonummi on 1 July 2023, Vantaa on 1 January 2024, and Helsinki on 1 July 2024.

Biowaste for properties with 1 to 4 apartments,

 

  • Independent composting in a composter compliant with the regulations is an alternative to separate collection of biowaste. Composting requires submitting a composting notification to HSY.  A notification is not necessary when composting garden waste only. 
  • In holiday homes, separate collection of biowaste is not required. However, the obligation to submit a notification of biowaste composting applies to all properties that compost their biowaste, including holiday homes.

Information on composting,

Submit a composting notification,

 

  • A property can have their mixed waste collected only once every 16 weeks when residents actively sort biowaste and packaging wastes, and and when the volume of mixed waste generated is small. The agreement of shared use of waste containers allows the participating neighbouring properties to share the costs between them.

  • The manually movable waste containers owned by the property will be replaced with waste containers owned by HSY when the old one breaks down or comes to the end of its life cycle. The occupational safety when emptying the waste containers will be improved and the obligations of the residents will be lightened as everyone gradually begins to use containers rented from HSY. The new types of waste containers are best suited for mechanical emptying, and residents will not need to worry about replacing broken containers in the future.

Waste services for properties,

 

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Caption: Previously, it sufficed that small properties collected mixed waste. Now the waste management regulations require all residential properties to collect (or compost) biowaste separately in the future.