What kind of waste does our family produce?

Our family consists of 2 adults and 2 children and we live in a private house. We empty a 60L bio-waste container once a week (this frequency is mandatory in Pärnu during the summer period, once a month from now on). In addition, we have ordered the emptying of a 60L household garbage container once a month.

 Our family collects by species:

• Biowaste
• Paper
• Packaging (including glass packaging, which we separate manually later)
• Pandipakendeid (packaging)
• Waste from oil shale
• Hazardous waste (batteries, expired medicines, light bulbs) 

The kitchen of our home was already designed by the previous owner, so at the moment we have trash cans scattered around the house and probably when designing a new kitchen (someday in the future) we will think of solutions that are even more functional.

Our bins are currently organized as follows:

• Bio-trash box for bio-waste ( Brykkar )
• 2x waste bin with flap for paper and packaging ( Ikea )
• 3x open top trash cans for deposit packages ( Ikea )
• 1x open trash can for household waste (under the sink, brand unknown)
• 1x open-top trash can for hazardous waste (under the sink, brand unknown)

Our family clearly generates the most bio-waste and packaging waste. We empty packaging, glass and paper waste once a week at the public packaging point located in our side street. We very rarely empty hazardous waste into the battery collection box in the nearest store, and medicines into the pharmacy. In other words, we only pay for the transport of bio and household waste, everything else is free.

In our household waste bin, there is usually: 

• Very dirty packages that you can't/don't want to clean
• Broken (game) items
• Items accidentally thrown by guests
• Beebidega guests' diapers
• Wire, used adhesive tape, broken laundry trap and other vague things that cannot be put elsewhere in the trash can

Where do you start if you have one bin today (for household waste)?

Look inside your trash can, what kind of trash do you find there the most? Is this a bio? The packaging? Paper? Glass containers? Then create additional bins for one, maximum two properly large waste groups. If they don't fit under the trash can, I recommend putting them on, under, or in a convenient place as close to the kitchen as possible. If it's not within your reach, you're not going to use that bin and everything still ends up in the household waste (tried and tested, honestly). Even the Brykkar bio waste bin, I always place it where I am currently chopping or peeling butter, so that it is as close as possible and I don't have to lift the bio waste back and forth, e.g. from the sink to the bin.

Start with small steps, one bin at a time. Quite soon, sorting waste by type creates a risk and throwing waste that can be sorted into the household garbage leads to guilt ;)