Small waste volume, large emissions

IN THE Greater Helsinki Region, the households produced only eight percent of the total waste volume in 2014. Nevertheless, according to HSY (Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority) the greenhouse gas emissions produced by the households amounted to over 50 % of all the greenhouse gas emissions in the region. How is this possible?

The households’ share of emissions is so large, because a lot of the waste generated in people’s homes has been mixed waste (which has ends up in a landfill). This means that the sorting out process of waste needs to be boosted. Also, the European Union is taking measures to guide Finland and other nations towards a more resource-efficient Europe where recycling is optimized. Mixed household waste unsuitable for recycling ends up in the waste-to-energy plant instead of a landfill.