City initiates examination of residents’ waste separation practices
The Tallinn Strategic Management Office will be examining the quality of waste sorting over the last two days of October and in November, and will be advising the residents of Tallinn on the proper separation of organic waste.
According to Deputy Mayor Joosep Vimm, segregating waste helps ensure its maximum recycling. “The mixed household waste of city residents clearly shows the types of waste with which people face the most challenges. A special focus is on organic waste. By now, all residents of Tallinn have had the opportunity to arrange for waste collection or to set up composting for smaller houses. The aim of the consultation is to provide residents with support and understanding on how to properly segregate their waste,” said Vimm.
The mixed household waste study is carried out in collaboration with PrügiBinGo. A contract has been signed with the company Ecomarketer for this purpose. The aim of the field observation is to clarify the current state of waste producers’ waste separation and, based on the results, to motivate, advise, and conduct information campaigns for waste producers. The goal is not to impose fines or punishments. With the help of PrügiBinGo, field observations are carried out, the results are analyzed, and a report on the fieldwork is prepared.
The Tallinn Strategic Management Office’s focus is to conduct fieldwork among those who have received composters from the city or have received permission from the district government to compost biodegradable kitchen waste on-site. A random sample is taken from the Tallinn waste holder registry from each city district and the findings of organic waste in mixed household waste containers are observed. If it turns out that composting on the property is not done properly (mixed household waste container contains organic waste), waste holders are advised on proper composting.
Fieldwork will be conducted over two months, on ten days in total, starting on October 30, 2023. The implementation of the fieldwork involves a representative of the Tallinn Strategic Management Office, the regional waste carrier, a representative of the contracting partner Ecomarketer, and the operations are carried out on the regular waste clearance day of the waste holders. The mixed household waste container is emptied into the garbage truck, the waste bag is cut open, and it’s identified what kind of waste is inside.
The personal data of waste holders from randomly selected properties are protected by contract. The fieldwork implementer’s contractual obligation is to ensure that documents or other data carriers containing personal data, which can identify an individual (receipts, contracts, medical records, etc.), are not captured or stored in any other way, and that such waste is put back into the garbage truck.
Conducting PrügiBinGo contributes to the implementation of Tallinn’s waste plan objectives. Similar waste separation awareness campaigns and mixed household waste composition observations will also be carried out next year.