Joint declaration on cooperation for waste collection

Representatives of the municipalities in the capital region recently signed a joint declaration on cooperation for waste collection at the SORPA reception and sorting centre in Gufunes. Residents of the capital region have long called for a harmonised household waste collection system and separate collection of organic kitchen waste. In recent months, the Association of Capital Area Municipalities (SSH) has been working on the preparation for this, and a report from a working group on standardisation and separate collection was recently presented.

^{In the picture, from the left: Páll Björgvin Guðmundsson, CEO of SSH; Gunnar Einarsson, Chairman of the SSH Board and Mayor of Garðabær; Dagur B. Eggertsson, Mayor of Reykjavík; Regína H. Guðbjörnsdóttir, Deputy Mayor of Kjósarhreppur; Ármann Kr. Ólafsson, Mayor of Kópavogur; Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, Mayor of Hafnarfjörður; Bjarni Torfi Álfþórsson, Deputy Mayor of Seltjarnarnes; Arnar Jónsson, Deputy Mayor of Mosfellsbær. Photograph: HAG.}

„Our environment is changing completely. We are finally looking forward to harmonised sorting and the development of a green cluster and an incinerator for waste that cannot be sorted.“ Gunnar Einarsson, chairman of the board of the Association of Local Authorities in the Capital Region and Mayor of Garðabær, said at the signing, welcoming the unity and progressiveness that the local authorities have demonstrated in action. „A great deal of exciting things will happen in the coming years. Added to this is the government's aim to be at the forefront of climate change. These are exciting but also complex times, and our unity as local authorities is crucial to ensure these goals are achieved.“

Gunnar emphasises the importance of the educational role of SORPU and the municipalities when it comes to the new waste collection system. „It is admirable to see how the project group addressed that part of their report.“ says Gunnar.

Four categories of rubbish and the option of dual-compartment bins

With the declaration, the municipalities agree to implement a single waste collection system for the capital region and separate collection of organic waste. In the new waste collection system, it is proposed that four waste streams will be collected from all households in the capital region. 

The waste categories are:

• Organic kitchen waste
• Mixed household waste
• Paper and cardboard
• Plastic packaging

The system is in line with the changes to the law on household waste collection coming into force over the New Year and is based on the Nordic model. When proposing the system's design, the guiding principle was to make the changes as convenient and simple as possible for residents, and two-chambered bins will be available for households where space is limited. With the dual-compartment bins, organic kitchen waste and mixed waste will be collected in separate compartments of the same bin, while plastic packaging will be collected in one compartment and paper and cardboard in the other.

See the older announcement from 1 February 2022: Harmonisation of the waste collection system would be a major step forward – proposals for a harmonised waste collection system and separate collection of organic waste have been presented.