Information about waste sorting
Sorting at a Hoas property
There are seven types of waste collection bins at Hoas properties:
On this page, you’ll find checklists showing which type of waste belongs in each bin.
Not every waste room has all types of collection bins. In such cases, the correct bin can be found at another waste collection point on the property. You can check the locations of your property’s waste points using the property map service, which you can access via MyHoas.
The role of tenant committee
Why should the tenant committee campaign for waste sorting?
The cleanliness of waste collection points and waste sorting manners affect the overall comfort of the property. As a tenant committee, you know your property and its tenants best – and if you wish, you can address the specific issues that have been observed at your property.
This page provides information and tips for tenant committees if you wish to tackle these problems.
We provide guidance for these issues
We have compiled various instructions and ideas on how to improve waste sorting on the property. The tips are categorized under four different sorting issues.
We recommend selecting just one issue to focus on solving first. If things start improving, you can then tackle other challenges as well.
The issues to be addressed are:
- Waste is left on the floor of the waste room, in stairwells, or outside.
- Waste is placed in the wrong bins.
- Furniture or electronics are taken to the waste area or abandoned in hallways.
- Waste sorting in general needs improvement.
Solutions to waste sorting issues on the property
Implement one or more of the suggested solutions. You can also come up with your own ideas and actions.
Issue 1: Waste is left on the floor of the waste room, in stairwells, or outside.ShowClose
Inform about the location of waste collection points.
- Communicate through your digital tenant channel or post a notice in the stairwell.
- Tell about the property map available in MyHoas.
- Provide specific information if there are multiple waste points with different waste collection types.
Remind tenants that waste attracts pests.
- Use the ready-made template (see below template “Tiedotemalli_roskat ja tuholaiset” in Finnish and English).
Inform about waste collection schedules.
- Tell that there is a QR code on the waste room door where tenants can check the collection schedule. If a waste bin is full, encourage waiting until it is emptied before adding more waste.
Issue 2: Waste is placed in the wrong bins.ShowClose
Select the most problematic type of waste.
- Start with just one waste type to maximize tenant participation.
Provide clear sorting instructions.
- Use information about waste types found on this page (waste types) and create posters or other type of information for the tenants of the property.
- Share information via your digital tenant channel and with stairwell notices.
Organize a waste sorting game at the waste station.
- Ready-made posters for plastic and bio-waste are available from Hoas. (See sample image at the bottom of this page.)
- Once a challenge goal is met, announce it to everyone in an encouraging manner.
- If you want, repeat the challenge and aim to improve results.
Collect the chosen waste type at events.
- Set up a separate collection bin for the selected waste type at your events. Distribute information about sorting this type of waste. (Waste types materials below)
Issue 3: Furniture or electronics are taken to the waste area or abandoned in hallways.ShowClose
Communicate about proper disposal of items.
- Plan how often and what topics to communicate about.
- For example, occasional reminders or monthly notices targeting tenants moving out.
- Inform tenants about proper disposal locations.
- For usable furniture: Recycling Center, Fida, Kontti, Tori.fi, etc.
- Consider creating a shared tenant channel for selling or exchanging items.
- For broken furniture: Sortti stations.
- For electronics: Retail stores or collection stations (kierrätys.info).
Organize a collective disposal effort.
- If there is significant need, arrange a group disposal using the tenant committee’s budget.
- Find the best disposal options for your needs:
- Sortti pickup (note: items must be listed in the order form)
- Pickup service for sellable items (check out: Recycling Center, Fida, SPR Kontti)
- Hoas trailer rental
- Recycling Center trailer rental
- Sortti trailer rental
- Sortti station waste disposal fees
- Van rental
Host a furniture swap or flea market event.
- Organize a flea market or swap event for tenants, either in person or via your building’s digital platform.
- Consider arranging for leftover items to be taken to recycling (rent or borrow a trailer if needed).
Issue 4: Waste sorting in general needs improvement.ShowClose
Provide waste sorting tips for home use.
- Share advice on how to fit all collected waste types into a home sorting system.
- Use our tips on this page or create your own.
100-day sorting challenge.
- Encourage tenants to improve sorting habits through a 100-day challenge. (See sample image at the bottom of this page.)
- Distribute challenge posters to interested participants. Ready-made posters are available from Hoas.
Waste types
Plastic packaging
Do this:
- Rinse or wipe the empty package if needed. It’s enough that the package doesn’t cause odor or mold problems.
- Remove caps and lids (this makes further processing easier)
- Do not nest packages inside one another (this makes further processing easier)
- Take the waste to the collection point in a plastic bag
Yes, please!
- Empty plastic food packaging (e.g. yogurt containers, butter tubs, deli packaging)
- Plastic retail packaging for household items
- Plastic bags, pouches, and wrappers
- Empty plastic bottles for detergents, shampoo, and soap
- Empty plastic bottles and jars
No, thank you:
- Packaging that contains residues of hazardous substances (e.g. liquid medicine packaging – put in mixed waste)
- Non-packaging plastic (e.g. kitchen utensils, toys, freezer boxes, wash basins)
Mixed waste
Yes, please!
- Hygiene products (e.g. diapers, cotton swabs, menstrual products)
- Plastic items not suitable for plastic recycling (e.g. foam plastic, dirty food packaging)
- Broken clothes and accessories, moldy textiles
- Leather, faux leather, rubber (bags, boots)
- Padded textiles (duvets, pillows, stuffed toys)
- Small rugs
- Glassware, porcelain, and ceramics (drinking glasses, other dishes, decorative items, mirrors)
- Cat litter
- Incandescent and halogen light bulbs, fuses
- Vacuum cleaner bags
- Cooled ash and cigarette butts
No, thank you:
- Recyclable materials with their own collection
- Hazardous waste (medications, toxic chemicals, batteries)
- Electrical appliances
- Large metal items
- Large amounts of non-combustible waste/items (to Sortti stations)
Metal
Do this:
- Rinse metal waste with cold water to remove any residue
- Bring it to the recycling point in a container and pour the metal items into the collection bin
- Return deposit cans to the store or Alko for refund
Yes, please!
- Tin cans
- Aluminum trays and foil
- Metal lids and caps
- Metal cups from tealight candles
- Empty aerosol cans (e.g. hairspray)
- Small metal items that fit into the collection bin
No, thank you:
- Plastic or coffee bags (e.g. chip bags – put in plastic recycling)
- Batteries and accumulators – to hazardous waste collection
- Full or partially full aerosol cans – to hazardous waste collection
- Electrical appliances
- Large metal scrap (e.g. bicycles, metal devices)
Glass
Do this:
- Rinse glass waste with cold water
- Remove caps and lids
- Labels, collar rings, and other fixed parts can be left on
- Return deposit bottles to the store or Alko
Yes, please!
- Glass bottles
- Glass jars
No, thank you:
- Glassware
- Heat-resistant glass (e.g. oven dishes, coffee pots)
- Crystal, porcelain, and ceramics
- Window or mirror glass
- Light bulbs
Cardboard and carton
Do this:
- Remove food leftovers. Wipe off any residue with paper or rinse the packaging with cold water.
- Let it dry. The packaging is clean and dry enough if it can be stored at home for a few days without causing odor or mold. Mold ruins the packaging and makes the material unusable.
- You do not need to remove attached caps, staples, or packing tape.
- Flatten packages and nest them together to save space in the waste bin.
Yes, please!
- Milk and juice cartons (including those with plastic or aluminum lining and caps)
- Cardboard packaging, e.g. cereal and biscuit boxes
- Paper bags, e.g. for bread or flour
- Paper shopping bags
- Wrapping paper (excluding printed gift wrap)
- Egg cartons
- Toilet and kitchen paper rolls
No, thank you:
- Dirty packaging
- Gift wrap and craft cardboard
- Styrofoam
- Plastic packaging
Biowaste
Do this:
- Line the biowaste bin with a paper biowaste bag (e.g. a flour or cereal box)
- You can also use a bag made of biodegradable plastic from the store
- Let biowaste cool down and dry slightly before putting it in the bag
- Pour out any liquids into the drain
- Empty the biowaste every few days
- Tip! An egg carton at the bottom of the bag helps absorb moisture.
Yes, please!
- Fruit and vegetable peels
- Food scraps, solidified fats
- Fish bones, other bones
- Egg cartons
- Coffee grounds, tea leaves, tea bags, and filter papers
- Paper towels, napkins, tissues
- Wilted flowers
- Wood-based pet litter (shavings and pellets)
No, thank you:
- Plastic bags
- Food packaging
Paper
Do this:
- All paper that comes through the mail slot, as well as writing and printing paper.
- The material must be clean and dry.
- Staples and paper clips do not need to be removed.
Yes, please!
- Newspapers
- Advertisements and brochures
- Envelopes (including those with windows)
- Phone books and product catalogs
- Postcards
- Copy paper and printouts
- White drawing and notepad paper
No, thank you:
- Wet or dirty paper
- Books
- Cardboard or carton
- Brown paper or paper bags
- Receipts
- Aluminum and wax papers
- Heavily dyed paper, e.g. gift wrap
Other waste
Collecting seven types of waste is already a great achievement, but even at Hoas properties, not everything recyclable is collected.
Fortunately, most of these items are ones that accumulate rather rarely, and emptying the collection container once or twice a year is enough. On the other hand, it’s tempting to toss waste into mixed waste, even though recycling would be the smarter option. Recycling becomes easier when you familiarize yourself in advance with where different types of waste can be taken.
Here are some tips:
- HSY’s waste guide – type in the item you want to dispose of, and the guide tells you what to do with it!
- Furniture and large items
- Check the condition. If the item is in good shape, you can donate or sell it. For example: Kierrätyskeskus, SPR Kontti, Fida, tori.fi, Facebook Marketplace and groups.
- If the item is broken, take it to a Sortti station
- Electrical devices
- SER collection points
- Stores that sell electrical and electronic equipment
- Clothing and household textiles
- Batteries and accumulators, energy-saving lamps, and fluorescent tubes
- Medicines, needles, and syringes
- Pharmacy
- Confidential paper waste (documents containing sensitive information)
- Shredded paper can be placed in a white paper bag and taken to paper recycling
- Paper shredders and disposal containers for sensitive documents are available in libraries in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area
How to organize sorting at home
Sorting seven types of waste might seem difficult to fit into a smaller apartment, but it’s definitely possible! Here are some of our tried and tested ways to arrange collection bins at home.
Mixed waste
Bin in the kitchen cabinet. Once everything else is sorted, a small bin is enough for mixed waste.
Biowaste
Bin in the kitchen cabinet. Use a paper bag with shredded newspaper or an egg carton at the bottom to absorb moisture. Note: Never use a plastic bag for biowaste.
Plastic packaging
Bin in the waste cabinet or a separate lidded bin in the kitchen.
Paper
A decorative basket in the living room.
Cardboard
A paper bag hanging in the hallway. Flatten and nest cardboard pieces tightly inside each other.
Metal
A small box (e.g. a shoebox) placed in a kitchen cupboard or drawer.
Glass
A reusable bag in the cleaning cabinet.
Less trash and waste
The most environmentally friendly option is to avoid creating waste in the first place. Here are a few easy ways to reduce waste:
- Avoid using disposable products—or reuse them multiple times despite their name.
- Avoid unnecessary packaging, for example by carrying your shopping home in a fabric bag or putting all fruits and vegetables in the same bag at the store.
- Use each item for as long as possible: repair and maintain broken items, or find a new use for them.
- If you don’t need a usable item in good condition, sell or donate it. One person’s trash is another’s treasure!
- Check if you can borrow what you need. You might get a drill from a relative, a fabric cleaner from a friend, and print or copy documents at the library for a small fee.
- If something can’t be reused, recycle it. This helps create new materials for making goods and products.
- If an item can’t be recycled, place it in mixed waste. Mixed waste is incinerated, and any valuable recyclable material is lost. So don’t accidentally send anything to the flames that could still be reused as raw material.
Sample images of available sorting materials:
