Biodegradable waste is a type of waste which can be broken down into its base compounds by micro-organisms and other living things. In households, this waste includes items such as leftovers, vegetable and fruit peelings, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags and paper towels.
Preconceived notions about the recycling of biowaste abound. Some think collecting biowaste would be a nuisance and cumbersome, while others wonder if the waste they so carefully sort will just end up being thrown in with all the other rubbish. Yle made a list of the top five misconceptions people have about biowaste recycling and asked Päivi Mikkola Communications Manager of the Lounais-Suomen Jätehuolto waste management and recycling centre to answer them.
1. Collecting biowaste is a waste of time – it’s just going to be chucked in with the rest of the rubbish
“No, it really is processed separately. Biowaste from the areas of Turku, Raisio, Naantali, Masku, Lieto and Parainen is first transported to the Topinoja waste centre, from where it is carried by lorry to the Biolinja biogas plant in Uusikaupunki. There it creates energy and fertilizer ingredients.
Only in cases where the biodegradable waste is sorted carelessly is this process abandoned in favour of another means of treatment, but due to the new ban on miscellaneous waste in landfills, this is the more expensive option. Careful sorting is therefore very important,” says Mikkola.
2. Why should I bother? No one else does it
“Almost everyone in Finland sorts their rubbish to some extent. The polling firm Taloustutkimus found that between 80 and 90 percent of Turku residents always sort their waste. The poll showed that 95 percent recycle their paper either always or occasionally, 93 percent recycle their glass, 94 batteries, 91 metal and 86 carton board,” she says.
3. Sorting biowaste creates added costs
“The collection of biowaste requires nothing special. Items can be collected in a plastic bag or bucket. Some people wrap their biowaste in newspaper. Remember to throw the non-biodegradable bag in a separate rubbish container however, when you add the biowaste to the collection receptacle.
Many housing units actually end up saving money if they introduce a biowaste collection bin. If the biowaste is sorted, the processing fee is cheaper than if the waste is included with the combustible waste. If home owners compost, their waste bins needn’t be emptied as often.”
4. A biowaste container would make the yard smell and attract rats
“The same biowaste was there mixed with other waste before. Nothing has changed, except that now it is in its own separate container so it can be processed correctly.”
5. Waste disposal trucks don’t fit down the narrow streets of the city, so there’s no sense in organising separate collections for all housing units
“It’s true that the trucks don’t fit through all of the narrow gateways. In cases like these, the driver brings the containers from the yard out to the truck. Smaller vehicles are also on the move in the city centre and they sometimes collect items. If the trucks look the same, it may give the impression that all of the rubbish goes in the same pile. The urban legend that all recyclables end up together in a landfill lives on,” says Mikkola.
Several European countries and some American states are now enacting laws to divert food waste from landfills. In small and densely populated areas in particular, landfill capacity is limited. Decomposing food waste also generates methane, a notorious greenhouse gas. In some locations, like the Biolinja plant in Uusikaupunki, this biogas is captured and turned into energy, and then sold into the electricity grid.
