Helsinki:
Closing the nutrient circle - the collection of biowaste
Helsinki:
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| Country: | a) Northern Europe | ,b) Finland |
| Language: | |
| Type: | Project, Concept, 1 |
| Area: | City/Town, 100,000 - 1 mill. |
| Actors: | Local government, NGO |
| Funding: | Local government |
| Topics: | Information and public participation |
| Solid waste | |
| Objectives: | Increase public awareness |
| Waste avoidance | |
| Waste recycling | |
| Instruments: | Demonstration and pilot project |
| Integrated planning approach | |
| New financing arrangements | |
| Public participation |
The Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council (YTV) started separate biowaste collection in 1990 and extended it to an area of 100,000 inhabitants in 1993. Separate collection and composting of biowaste is regarded as an essential part of environmentally sound waste management. In 1998 the collection is going to cover the entire metropolitan area. Due to the success of the collection YTV is now building a biowaste composting plant with a capacity of 30,000 t/a that will be put into operation in December 1997 or January 1998. YTV´s main objective is to recycle 80 per cent of biowaste by the year 2001.
Helsinki´s collection of biowaste is a good example of local practice because
About 1 million tons of solid waste is produced in the Greater Helsinki area annually. 425,000 tons are taken to Ammässuo, the only landfill site in the area. Due to the economic recession this part of the waste has declined by one third since 1989, but also thanks to recycling efforts. Already about 50- 60 % of all waste in the Helsinki area is recycled. YTV´s objective is to recycle by the year 2001
Concerning the recycling of biowaste, YTV Waste Management Department already tested composting of mixed household waste in the late 1980s to study the possibilities for using the composted soil. This study showed that separating organic waste from the mixed refuse before composting required less work and produced a better product with less heavy metals.
The next experiment, separate collection of biowaste, took place in 1990. The results confirmed that it is possible to collect the separated biowaste as part of the regular waste transport. The quality of the biowaste was promising.
In 1993 the first pilot areas were extended to cover 100,000 inhabitants in northern Helsinki and some areas in Espoo. In 1994 Espoo, Kauniainen and 1995 Vantaa were included in this collection. The amount of biowaste produced in these areas is about 11,000 tons per year. The goal is to expand separate collection of biowaste so that by 1998 it will cover the entire metropolitan area.
YTV´s main objective is to recycle 80 % of the biowaste generated by households and other properties by the year 2001. As a comparison, it must be considered that the absolute recycling efficiency of waste paper is about 80 % and this collection is now well accepted. Studies show that about 50 % of the biowaste is already recovered in the areas where the collection has begun. The percentage is expected to rise when the collection gets more established and the residents become more familiar with it.
According to waste management regulations, residential properties comprising ten or more dwelling units as well as other properties producing more than 50 kg of biowaste a week, are obliged to separate biowaste from other refuse. Paper and cardboard has to be collected separatly in residential properties comprising five or more dwelling units or producing more than 50 kg paper or cardboard a week. If a block provides composting facilities of its own for all residents, participation in separate collection of biowaste is not required. As composting is an essential part of environmental education, day-care centres and schools have been included in the collection. However, according to the regulation these activities are not necessary but are regarded as important information work.
By a haulage system YTV can cover 82 % of the inhabitants with its waste paper collection and 77 % with its biowaste collection. For the households outside the haulage system YTV established a „deposit-system“ with about 330 containers for waste paper. Three or four people from the YTV are in charge of organising and monitoring the biowaste collection. The transport and composting is contracted to other companies.
Biowaste is transported from the properties to the composting field near the landfill, where it is composted in open pits. The sag and seep waters from the asphalted field are directed to the sewage treatment plant. In the process, the biowaste is mixed with wood chips, turned and watered when necessary and finally sieved out. It takes about one year for the waste to decompose into soil. Depending on the quality of the final product, it can be used for either soil improvement or landscaping projects.
Before starting the collection in new areas the residents, caretakers and producers of large amounts of waste are informed directly via newspaper advertisements and other forms of publicity. For example, schools, housing blocks, tenant organisations, environmental groups and other interested groups can invite a waste counsellor from the YTV to get advice on the biowaste arrangement and composting. When the biowaste collection was launched, every household received a biowaste guide with a pull- out assorting guide. In single-family housing areas individual composting is encouraged. The Waste Department supports home composting with advertising and information targeted especially for the households without their own biobin.
During the project its various features have been thoroughly examined. Studies have been made on the collection and assortment of the biowaste, the maturation and quality of the compost, the environmental effects, costs and efficiency of different composting methods as well as on health and safety of the working conditions in open pit composting.
It became clear that about one third of household refuse is organic, degradable waste. Along with waste paper, it represents the biggest element of waste that can be separately collected and recycled. If not separated, this kind of waste will rot and generate environmentally hazardous gases in the conditions of a compact landfill devoid of oxygen. Organic material also unnecessarily wastes valuable space in the landfill. Therefore separate collection and composting of biowaste is an essential part of an environmentally sound waste management. Due to the absence of organic elements, the management of mixed refuse also becomes easier. In general, the separated biowaste is clean and the heavy metal values in the compost are clearly below allowed limits. The mechanical impurities are under 1.5 weight-% of the incoming biowaste.
At the end of 1996 YTV laid the foundation for a biowaste composting plant with a dimensioning capacity of 30,000 t/a of biodegradable waste. The start-up of this plant will be in December 1997 or January 1998. YTV´s decision to invest in a tunnel composting plant was based on several studies like a marketing survey of biowaste composting products, a survey of existing fullscale biowaste treatment plants and a study of the environmental impacts. The final decisions could not be made based on the existing examples as the same type of plants were so different in many commercial and functional aspects. YTV had to decide between four alternatives:
Having regard for various environmental, technical, economical and functional matters YTV decided on the partially closed composting plant. After an open international competitive bidding the Finnish- Dutch company „VAM Vapo Wastech Ltd“ was ordered to deliver a nine tunnel composting plant for 30,000 t/a incoming biowaste.
Concerning the acceptance of the biowaste collection YTV has done a public opinion poll before and after starting the biowaste collection in the northern Helsinki area (about 150,000 inhabitants belong to the biowaste collection). Here 93 % of the people said before starting that they will separate biowaste and 6 months later 85 % of the inhabitants were separating biowaste. The study also detected that the inhabitants of big blocks of flats had greater problems in separating biowaste. In the same area of northern Helsinki YTV also studied the composition of household waste before and after the introduction of the biowaste collection. It became clear that the collected biowaste is 47 % of the theoretical amount.
In consideration of the main aim to recycle 80 % of the biowaste, YTV is planning a publicity campaign in cooperation with municipalities, authorities and companies. The campaign will cover the whole of Finland and will also involve television and radio. In addition some new brochures and campaign material will be published. This should help to increase the quality and percentage of recovered biowaste in areas where the collection is ongoing. This means that the information has to be carefully planned and targeted. One idea has been to give feed-back or even to offer economic incentives directly to households based on the production and quality of the biowaste they have generated. There will also be normal supervision of the biowaste separation. Thus the driver of the biowaste lorry will observe the standard of the biowaste separated. If there is anything wrong, he will report it to the waste counsellor who will contact the caretaker.
The Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council (YTV) is a joint municipal organisation of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen. Its functions are regional waste management, regional public transport, air pollution control and location planning. It covers a population of 860,000. The decisions at YTV are made by trustees nominated by the member cities whereby the political representation is based on municipal elections. YTV has approximately 240 employees, half of them are working in the Waste Management Department.
YTV´s overall annual budget of is about FIM 710 million (ECU 120 million). Nearly 70 % of the budget expenditure is covered by consumer fees and 30 % by municipal subsidies. Most of the budget goes to public transport. Waste management represents 27 % of the budget, i.e. about FIM 160 million.
The entire costs of waste transport, treatment, separate collection and hazardous waste disposal is covered by consumer fees paid by real estate. The average fee is FIM 15 (ECU 2.5) per month per capita. In fixing prices YTV has followed a tariff policy which promotes waste separation. The fees depend on the size of the waste containers, the frequency of collection and the placement of the containers on the property. Thus, the sum is directly dependent on the amount of waste produced. For separate collection of biowaste, the properties pay 50 % less than for a mixed refuse container of the same size.
The total cost of separate collection of biowaste is FIM 450 (ECU 75) per ton. This sum consists of 30 % running costs, 10 % capital expenses and 60 % transportation costs.
Association of Finnish Local Authorities 1996: Learning New Skills - Finnish Municipalities towards Sustainability, Helsinki
| Name | : | Paavilainen |
| Firstname | : | Jukka |
| Telefon | : | 00358 / 9 / 1561 307 |
| Telefax | : | 00358 / 9 / 1561 3369 |
| Address | : | Director, Development Services |
| Helsinki Metropolitan Area | ||
| Council (YTV) | ||
| Waste Management Department | ||
| Opastinsilta 6 A | ||
| FIN - 00520 Helsinki |
Helsinki is the capital and largest city of Finland, situated on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. The city is also the capital of Uusimaa Province, in southern Finland, located on a small peninsula extending into the Gulf of Finland. Small islands fringe the peninsula, and the entrance to Helsinki Harbour is protected by the fortifications of Suomenlinna (Swedish Sveaborg), covering seven of the islands.
With a population of more than 500,000 it is the central place for trade, administration and education. The land area is 190 sq km, which includes 96 km of coastline and 300 islands. The population density is 2,600 inhabitants/sq km. Together with the neighbouring municipalities of Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa, Helsinki forms a metropolitan area of 850,000 inhabitants.
Helsinki is also the cultural, commercial and political centre of Finland. The principal manufacturing products include paper, textiles, liquors, china, chemicals, and metal goods. Agricultural and dairy products, lumber and wood products are exported in considerable quantity. A major part of the commercial activity is centred on the harbour, in which separate facilities are maintained for passengers and small shipments, for bulk shipments of lumber and wood products, and for handling large incoming cargoes of coal and grain. The port can accommodate any vessel, but it is icebound from January to May. Helsinki is also an international airline centre.
Project was added at 23.01.1997
Project was changed at 22.08.2001