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There is much room for improvement in sorting biowaste. As much as 60 per cent of biowaste ends up in mixed waste. It accounts for about a third of mixed waste; also in properties where separate collection is arranged. Households are not familiar with the benefits of sorting biowaste and the further use of waste. The generation of waste is not identified and people don’t know how to change their sorting routines.
The Love Every Crumble campaign, launched today, encourages Finns to reduce food waste and sort biowaste at home, at work and on holidays. The President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö will act as the patron of the campaign.
In Finland, sorted biowaste is used to make biogas, fertiliser products for agriculture and forestry, and soil for landscaping. If all biowaste generated by households was sorted and treated into biogas, the amount of biogas could be used for 90,000 gas-operated cars. Among other forms of waste, biowaste is wasted and therefore reduces the recyclability of other materials and reduces the amount of energy from incinerated mixed waste.
In Finland, 10–15 per cent of edible food is wasted in the entire food chain. Food waste is highest in households (35 per cent of food waste). Food waste also occurs in catering services, shops and the food industry. Household food waste corresponds to the annual CO2 emissions of about 100,000 average passenger cars. Finland is committed to halving its food waste by 2030.
Big changes are needed for sorting
In 2025, Finland's goal is to recycle 55 per cent of municipal waste and in 2035 already 65 per cent. Achieving this goal will require much more efficient sorting, both at home and at work. The recycling rate has been 41 per cent in recent years.
The ongoing reform of the Waste Act aims to increase the collection of biowaste from households and companies. In urban areas, the collection of biowaste is planned to be initially extended to residential properties with more than five apartments. After a transition period of a few years, biowaste collection would extend to all properties in agglomerations of more than 10,000 inhabitants. Composting on the premises is an alternative to separate collection. The sorting requirements for companies would also be tightened accordingly.
Love Every Crumb campaign
The Love Every Crumb campaign is implemented by the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Finnish Circulation Association and the Association of Finnish Municipalities. The campaign will run until the end of 2021.
Suomen Kiertovoima ry and the Association of Finnish Municipalities launched a campaign on 29 October with municipal waste facilities as part of the Love Every Crumb campaign, responding to the sorting challenges of residents. Sorting is encouraged, for example, by providing motivating information and presenting various biowaste services.
The campaign involves the Finnish Environment Institute, the Finnish Consumers' Association, the Finnish Biocycle and Biogas Association, the Finnish Grocery Trade Association, the Finnish Food and Drink Industries' Federation and the Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa.
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