New agreement on waste collection

Implementation of a new system begins in spring 2023 – a response to residents' calls

The City of Hafnarfjörður and Terra ehf have entered into an agreement for waste collection from households in Hafnarfjörður from spring 2023 until 2031, and from the municipality's institutions until 2026. The municipality's waste collection service was recently put out to tender, and Terra ehf was the successful bidder. The terms of the waste collection tender have undergone significant changes and now align with the joint statement of the municipalities in the capital region on the implementation of a single, harmonised waste collection system and the separate collection of organic kitchen waste. 

^{Mayor Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir and Valgeir M. Baldursson, CEO of Terra, recently signed an agreement for the council's waste collection.} 

In spring 2023, the release of four batches will begin in Hafnarfjörður.

Terra will take over waste collection for the City of Hafnarfjörður in spring 2023, when the contract with the current service provider expires. At the same time, the collection of four waste streams will begin at homes and institutions in Hafnarfjörður. The waste streams are:

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

^{Terra's vehicles will run entirely on methane. Terra's service in Hafnarfjörður will begin in the spring of 2023.} 

The general standard for each household will be two-chambered bins. One will have separate compartments for organic kitchen waste and mixed waste, and the other will have compartments for plastic packaging on one side and paper and cardboard on the other. A different arrangement will apply to bins in multi-occupancy properties and at institutions. More detailed information on the implementation and arrangements will be provided closer to the introduction of the new system.

Response to the call from residents of the capital region

In the spring of 2022, representatives of the municipalities in the capital region signed a joint declaration on cooperation for waste collection. Residents of the capital region have long called for a harmonised waste collection and sorting system at households, and for the separate collection of organic kitchen waste. The system is in line with the changes to the law on household waste collection coming into force at the turn of the year 2022-2023 and is based on the Nordic model.