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Residents’ waste management 

All permanent dwellings and holiday homes in use must join organised waste collection. Procure waste bins for energy and mixed waste for your property or inquire about the possibility of renting waste bins. Order the collection of your waste.

  • Sort your waste as follows:

    • Into mixed and energy waste for which you must procure your own waste bins.
    • You can take glass, metal, cardboard and plastic packaging to Rinki eco take-back points. Plastic packaging can also be sorted into energy waste.
    • You can take waste paper to regional collection points, which are also found at Rinki eco take-back points.

    Do not put hazardous waste, furniture, renovation waste or other waste that is unsuitable for waste bins in the waste bin. Take this waste to the waste reception station.

    Do not dispose of waste by incineration. Also, do not bury waste in the ground.

  • The longest possible emptying interval you can arrange for your waste bins:

    • Mixed waste: 4 weeks
    • Mixed waste when biowaste is composted or collected separately: 16 weeks
    • Energy waste: 26 weeks

    A written notification of the composting of biowaste must be submitted to the Lahti region waste management authority.

    To extend the emptying interval of mixed waste beyond 16 weeks, you must submit a written application to the Lahti region waste management authority.

  • Biowaste and garden waste generated on the property may be composted there.

    The year-round composting of biowaste is only allowed in a specially designed, closed and well-ventilated composter that prevents the access of pests. A written notification of the composting of biowaste must be submitted to the Lahti region waste management authority.

    Garden waste may be composted in a composter or compost frame.

  • Property owners can agree on the use of a shared waste bin. Shared bins can be used for all waste types.

    In an area with a local detailed plan, shared waste bins or a shared composter can be used by properties located on the same block or adjacent blocks.

    In a sparsely populated area, shared waste bins or a shared composter can be used if one of the following conditions is met:

    • the properties are located along the same road within no more than three kilometres of the shared bin,
    • the properties are located along the same private road or private road network,
    • the properties are accessed by boat and the shared bin is located by the berth or within no more than three kilometres of the landing spot.

    The person in charge of the shared waste bin or composter must notify the Lahti region waste management authority and the waste collection company’s customer service in advance of the start and termination of the shared use and any changes in the use.

  • The emptying of a property-specific waste bin can be suspended when the property is not in use. If the collection is suspended for less than one year, you must inform the waste collection company’s customer service. The waste bin must remain empty during the suspension.

    If your property is going to be unoccupied for more than one year with no waste generated, you must apply for a suspension of waste management. A suspension of the emptying of a property-specific waste bin lasting one year or more is applied in writing from the Lahti region waste management authority.

    The regional collection point service cannot be suspended.

  • There are regional collection points in Kärkölä, Artjärvi in Orimattila and the sparsely populated areas of Heinola and Sysmä.

    You can only become a user of a regional collection point if there is no road to your property or the property-specific waste bin, or the road connection is poor and cannot withstand the weight of the waste truck.

    It is not necessary to become a user of a regional collection point if the waste collection can be arranged with shared bins.

    To become a customer of a regional collection point, contact the customer service of Salpakierto Ltd.

  • The municipal waste charge is a household-specific charge. The waste charge is payable by the person who owns the residence at the time of invoicing. The charge is set for one calendar year at a time.

    The charge does not apply to uninhabitable buildings. The owner of the residence can apply in writing for the removal of the municipal waste charge from the Lahti region waste management authority. The application must include proof of the uninhabitability of the residence or the demolition of the building.

  • The Lahti Region Waste Management Committee is the joint waste management authority of the municipalities. The waste board monitors the state of waste management and compliance with waste management legislation in the area of operation.

    The operational area of the Päijät-Häme Waste Board covers 9 municipalities: Asikkala, Heinola, Hollola, Kärkölä, Lahti, Myrskylä, Orimattila, Padasjoki and Pukkila.