Packaging contains valuable material. Here is how to dispose of various packaging so it can be recycled into new products.

Household packaging can be handed in for recycling at recycling stations located in public places around the country. Find your nearest station here. If you live at a property with its own collection point, you turn it in there. 

Empty

Empty the packaging and make sure there are no food scraps left inside. Packaging does not need to be cleaned. Manual sorting is based on weight for certain types of material, which is why it is important that they are emptied. In addition, packaging may have a long journey to the recycling station. So, it is good if there are no food scraps and similar items that are smelly and unhygienic.

Separate

If the packaging consists of more than one material, separate them if possible. A glass jar with metal lid is easy to take apart, while the pump of a spray can is usually difficult to remove. In such case, leave it in place. If a piece of packaging consists of several materials that cannot be separated, sort it based on which material makes up the greatest proportion of the weight.

Facilitate recycling

Bend in sharp lids on food tins and flatten them, if possible. Make sure that spray cans/bottles have been completely emptied of both content and propellant; otherwise dispose of them as hazardous waste. Pack smaller paper packaging inside larger packaging, so it takes up less space both under the sink and at the recycling station. Keep plastic and metal packaging separate from each other in their respective containers. They are sorted by machine before recycling.

Sort

A simple and space-saving method for source separating is to collect all packaging in the same bag. Then you sort at the recycling station and put the right packaging in the right container.  

Only packaging at a recycling station

Food scraps, car parts and old furniture are examples of waste that should not be discarded at the recycling station, but sometimes end up there anyway and contribute to littering. If you are not sure what to take to the recycling station, you can read more about what is considered packaging.

Tip for plastic bags with aluminium foil

Some plastic bags have a metal foil on the inside. This can make it difficult to tell which is the main material of the packaging. Try crumpling it together. If it unfolds itself again, it is mostly plastic. If it stays crumpled up, it is mostly metal.