Guide to waste sorting
Municipalities sort waste slightly differently, but from 2023 we must all sort into 10 types of waste. You may have already received your new bins, and if you had not already started with waste sorting, the effort starts now.
Sorting waste is one of the easiest ways in which we can act more environmentally conscious in our everyday lives and thereby help take good care of our planet. Waste is an inevitable part of life, and our kitchen is probably the room where the most of it is created. Nevertheless, it is easier said than done, and many Danes end up letting more than 50% of the waste end up in residual waste.
If we are to work towards a circular economy and a greener future, an important contribution is waste sorting at home.
Waste sorting is important because it is the beginning of, and even the first step in, the process that makes it possible to later recycle materials and thus reduce the amount of waste. That's why we really want to help you get started.
5 good tips for a good start with waste sorting
- Make it easy to do it right
Have a good sorting system within reach. Sorting our waste requires more than a waste bin and can take up valuable floor space in our kitchen. It can be difficult, as there is often not much space under the kitchen sink or in kitchen drawers, but here you have to think creatively and maybe there is space on the floor or wall. It is important to place your waste sorting close to where the waste is generated, and thus the kitchen is obvious. But the waste sorting can also be in a utility room or in the hallway, if it fits better with the decor.
So even if creating a good waste sorting system for your kitchen is not immediately the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to decorating the room, it is a very good place to start when you want to make it easy to act from the new sorting rules.
- Get enough bins to sort in
With 10 types of waste to sort, it requires a system that can really handle it in your home. We recommend the following:
- 1 waste bin for glass and metal
- 1 waste bin for cardboard and paper
- 1 waste bin for hard plastic
- 1 waste bin for soft plastics
- 1 waste bin for organic waste
- 1 waste bin for food cartons and/or deposits
While residual waste can still live under the kitchen sink, and clothes and hazardous waste may also already have a storage space in the home.
- Know the classic sorting errors
Pizza boxes: Although pizza boxes are made of cardboard, they should not be thrown in the paper and cardboard container. This is because greasy pizza trays with oil and leftover food cannot be recycled. Instead, they must be disposed of in the residual waste container.
Nail polish bottles: Nail polish bottles are typically made of glass, but they don't belong in the glass container. This is because nail polish contains chemicals that make it dangerous for the environment. They must therefore be disposed of as 'hazardous waste'.
Silver foil: Silver foil can also be a source of confusion. Clean silver paper should be folded and placed in the metal container in your home. But if the silver paper has been soiled by food or other substances, then it must be disposed of.
Be sure to pay attention to what belongs where to avoid contamination of the recyclable materials.
- Do it in style
When you need to create an effective waste sorting system for the kitchen, it doesn't just have to be functional or spoil the home. It can easily also be a stylish move. Choose a design that fits your style and doesn't make too much noise. There are many beautiful and practical waste sorting solutions on the market, so you can find one that matches your aesthetics.
In a busy everyday life, however, sorting waste can seem unmanageable - especially if it is difficult to find a simple guide that makes it easy to put the sorting into systems. First of all, it is a good idea to get waste bins for waste sorting - and to make it even easier, you can also get waste sorting stickers . Below you can also, in an easy and simple way, learn more about how you can take part in the creation of a more circular economy and greener future by sorting your waste - and how your waste should be sorted.
That is why it is important to sort waste
Sorting waste is important because we can recycle a lot of waste. When we recycle our waste, energy and heat do not have to be used to produce new ones, and we refrain from consuming more raw materials. Recycling is possible if the waste is properly sorted. A single dingy pizza box with grease residues in it can destroy an entire fraction of cardboard, which could otherwise be recycled. It is therefore incredibly important that everyone at home gets involved in waste sorting, so that recyclable material and bio-waste can be sent to the correct recycling departments.
For effective recycling, we therefore need effective sorting – and the first step to this is in our own home. When you put a plastic bottle in the correct waste bin, you ensure that the material in question can be put into the correct recycling process. If this sorting does not happen, a lot of recyclable materials will end up in the incineration, whereby valuable resources will be lost from our circular economy.
Which materials must be sorted - and how?
The materials that can be recycled range from food waste, paper and cardboard, to various plastic and metal containers, to things like batteries and various electronics. Each type of waste must be sorted differently because each is disposed of in a specific way. However, we can understand if you think it is difficult to see where, for example , flamingos, chip bags, spray cans, pizza trays and milk cartons go - and that is why we have made sure that with the help of this guide you can quickly and easily find answers to your sorting questions.
Getting started with waste sorting is not only good for the environment, it can also help reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. So let's take the first step towards a more sustainable future by sorting our waste correctly and efficiently
General tips for your waste sorting
When you want to sort waste efficiently, there are some general tips that are incredibly good to have at hand.
- Firstly, it is important that you always empty the packaging that is to be thrown away and recycled - and if there is a lid on it, it must also be removed.
- If your waste consists of several different materials at the same time, it is important that you separate it so that you can sort the different materials correctly.
- If it is not possible to separate the materials from each other, then sort according to the material of which there is the most.
- Always use your common sense - and remind yourself of how important a difference you make to both our planet and economy.
"Waste sorting can vary from municipality to municipality, so if you are in doubt about how to dispose of your waste in your particular municipality, you can always ask at the local recycling station."
https://mst.dk/affald-jord/affald/saerligt-for-borgere-om-affald/stroemlinet-affaldssortering/
https://mst.dk/affald-jord/affald/saerligt-for-borgere-om-affald/sortering-af-affald/
Enjoy waste sorting 😊
