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A lot of waste and little sorting – why does it cost so much?
Reducing waste and sorting it properly are important not only for the environment, but also for keeping housing costs down. Every resident benefits from effective waste sorting, because waste management costs directly affect rents.
Every three years, Helsinki Region Environmental Services (HSY) conducts a study on the composition of mixed waste.
According to the latest study, each resident in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area threw an average of 125.6 kg of waste into the mixed waste bin per year. As much as 70 percent of this – approximately 88 kilograms – could have been sorted and recycled.
“Waste collection fees depend on the number and type of waste containers, as well as how often they are emptied. Different waste types have different collection fees. Mixed waste is by far the most expensive, and it is also facing the largest price increases for next year. Therefore, the sorting rate has a significant impact on total waste management costs,” explains Sustainability Manager Jonna Seppänen.
Big differences in waste sorting
Let’s take an example of two of our properties, both with around 100 residents. Both use surface containers (standard above-ground waste containers). Jonna uses the following examples to illustrate the huge difference between two similarly sized properties:
Example building 1: High waste volume, poor sorting
The annual waste management cost for a property with 100 residents is €15,452. Per resident, that is about €155 per year and around €13 per month.
The calculation is based on the following:
| Waste container | Quantity | Emptied/wk | €/year |
| Mixed waste | 5 | 3 | €13 946 |
| Biowaste | 1 | 1 | €398 |
| Plastic | 1 | 1 | €415 |
| Cardboard | 2 | 1 | €520 |
In addition, there is 1 glass container and 1 metal container, emptied every four weeks. Total cost: €173 per year.
Example building 2: Moderate waste volume, effective sorting
For a property with 100 residents, the waste containers and collection schedules recommended by HSY are enough. The annual waste management cost is €5,590. Per resident, that comes to about €56 per year and around €5 per month.
The calculation is based on the following:
| Waste container | Quantity | Emptied/wk | €/year |
| Mixed waste | 4 | 1 | €3 282 |
| Biowaste | 2 | 1 | €785 |
| Plastic | 2 | 1 | €830 |
| Cardboard | 2 | 1 | €520 |
In addition, there is 1 glass container and 1 metal container, emptied every four weeks. Total cost: €173 per year.
It is possible to cut costs
The majority of our more than 300 properties use surface containers. The annual waste management costs for these properties total more than €2 million, which averages about €96 per resident.
“If waste sorting were as poor across all these properties as in example building 1, the annual costs for properties with surface containers would rise to €3.2 million. On the other hand, if everyone sorted waste as effectively as in example building 2, the costs would drop to €1.2 million,” Jonna explains, highlighting the contrast.
We also have deep collection containers at 43 of our properties. For these containers, HSY provides us with actual weighing data. The volume of mixed waste collected in deep collection containers also varies considerably between properties – ranging from 104 to 250 kg per resident each year.
“If all our properties with deep collection containers generated waste at the lowest rate (104 kg/resident/year), we would save €156,000 annually. And even if total waste volumes remained unchanged, sorting biowaste correctly alone would save €80,000.”
Potential savings of over €1.2 million
Residents are personally responsible for recycling their old furniture and other large items, for example by taking them to an HSY Sortti station.
Unfortunately, a lot of bulky items are still left in waste collection areas and storage rooms. The cost of removing them is charged directly to the person responsible.
If it is not clear who left the items, Espoon Asunnot has to pay the cost. In 2025, removing these items from waste collection areas and storage rooms cost us €260,000!
Jonna summarises the potential savings: "We could save over €1.2 million a year in waste fees! All it takes is moderate waste amounts, effective sorting, and not leaving items where they don’t belong."
Check out the waste sorting instructions! HSY Waste Guide
Image: AI-generated