Municipal cooperation

 

Sumi Oy is part of a national packaging waste collection cooperation agreement that brings together public waste management operators and producer organizations to implement efficient and uniform packaging waste collection throughout the country.

National packaging cooperation

Background and scope of cooperation

The cooperation agreement is based on the requirements of the Waste Act and has been joined by the Finnish Association of Circulation (KIVO), the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, the Finnish Packaging Producers Ltd and Sumi Ltd. The aim of the agreement is to organise the collection of packaging waste from properties in a cost-effective and appropriate manner, providing a high quality service to residents. Currently, the cooperation covers 279 municipalities and 5.5 million Finns.

Collection system and division of responsibilities

Under the agreement, waste management companies and municipalities are responsible for the collection and transport of packaging waste, delivering it to the collection terminals designated by the producer communities. Sumi Oy and Suomen Pakkaustuottajat Oy have organised a network of collection terminals for the collection of consumer packaging. The producer organisations are responsible for maintaining the terminal network and informing the operators in the area of any changes.

Reporting and monitoring

Monitoring and reporting on the cooperation is carried out through a central reporting portal to which the waste facilities and municipalities provide the necessary information. This system ensures transparency and allows for continuous improvement.

Monitoring Group

The development of cooperation is guided by a monitoring group with representation from all parties to the agreement. The members of the group are:

  • Vesa Heikkonen, Chairman, Rosk'n Roll Oy Ab

  • Mika Surakka, Vice-Chairman, Sumi Oy

  • Timo Hämäläinen, Secretary, Suomen Kiertovoima ry

  • Jutta Laine-Ylijoki, Suomen Kiertovoima ry

  • Tuulia Innala, Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities

  • Pekka Tommola, Suomen Pakkaustuottajat Oy

  • Sanna Peltola, Suomen Pakkaustuottajat Oy

  • Katja Laitinen, Sumi Oy

The Monitoring Group publishes a newsletter on current issues related to the implementation of the national cooperation agreement and the organisation of packaging waste collection. The newsletter is addressed to waste management companies and municipalities as well as to the officials of waste management boards.

Sumi Oy's participation in this cooperation strengthens its role as a responsible actor in the recycling of packaging waste and contributes to the achievement of circular economy goals in Finland.

 

Composition study of metal and plastic packaging waste

Finns master the art of sorting

Finns are good at sorting, according to a waste composition survey commissioned by the national packaging waste cooperation group. In plastic packaging and metal waste collected from both properties and Rinki collection points, 85-90% of waste complies with sorting guidelines.

The objectives of the study were to determine the distribution of metal packaging and small metal in the separately collected metal waste from producer associations and municipalities, and the share of plastic packaging in the separately collected plastic packaging waste. The composition of metal waste has been studied in the past, but this is the first time that the composition of plastic packaging waste collected from consumers has been comprehensively studied.

Reduction in the proportion of incorrectly sorted metal

Both packaging metal and small metal can be sorted in the metal waste bin at a property or ecopoint. The results of the survey show that the proportion of packaging metal in the collection bins of buildings is higher than that of ecopoints. Both collection systems contain around 10% of incorrectly sorted waste, such as electrical appliances and hazardous waste. However, their shares have decreased by 2-3 percentage points compared to the previous survey in 2019.

The results of the plastic packaging waste composition survey are also promising. On properties, 85% of plastic packaging in plastic packaging collection bins is correctly sorted plastic packaging, 6% plastic other than packaging and 9% contaminants such as mixed renovation waste and materials other than plastic. In ring collection points, plastic packaging accounts for up to 87%, other plastics 6% and contaminants 6%.

Satu Estakari, Circular Economy and Quality Manager at Suomen Pakkaustuottajat Oy, stresses that waste in the wrong place always makes recycling more difficult.

"Hazardous waste such as batteries and accumulators, when incorrectly sorted, cause hazardous situations. I am therefore particularly pleased that the study shows that both metal waste and plastic packaging waste contain the majority of waste that complies with the sorting guidelines. When we sort properly, we can also recycle waste properly," confirms Mr Estakari.

Research knowledge to develop cooperation on packaging waste

The samples for the composition studies were collected in April-June 2024 in the Helsinki, Turku, Tampere, Kuopio and Oulu regions. The study was carried out by Finnish Consulting Group Oy.

The results provide valuable information to support the development of nationwide packaging waste cooperation. The information will be used not only for waste reporting and statistics, but also to improve communication. In particular, the sorting of plastic packaging needs to be increased in order to achieve the ambitious recycling targets. Although there is still a long way to go, we are on the right track; the expansion of packaging waste collection to more and more properties has increased the amount of waste going to recycled material. At the same time as collection has increased for residential properties, the amount of material received at Rinki collection points has also increased.