Media release 27 February 2024 at 10:00 a.m.
Recycling campaign of HSY and Lumo homes involves nearly 10,000 households in making sorting more efficient
In autumn 2023, Helsinki Region Environmental Services HSY carried out a joint project with Kojamo plc to improve the sorting activity of Lumo residents. With the help of recycling ambassadors, we were able to reach nearly 10,000 Lumo homes, and the project yielded promising results in increasing the amount of biowaste instead of it ending up in mixed waste.
In the joint project of HSY and Kojamo, the residents of Lumo homes in the capital region were invited sign up as recycling ambassadors to promote the sorting and recycling in their home building. The goal was to improve the residents’ sorting knowledge and reduce the amount of mixed waste. Residents were encouraged to sort biowaste in particular, as it still accounts for almost 40 per cent of residential mixed waste. As a result of the project, the amount of biowaste increased by 10 per cent and the amount of mixed waste decreased in the short term.
The project was carried out in autumn 2023. Residents of 154 Lumo homes from 130 different houses in the capital region signed up as recycling ambassadors. Many of those who enrolled said that they were hoping to improve the sorting activity of the residents of their home building and were excited about the opportunity to influence the matter themselves.
“The joint project with HSY was a great fit for Lumo homes’ sorting and recycling theme year. We’ve also recognised that different campaigns and pilots are a good way to increase sorting activity. It was easy to join in with the ready concept,” says Niina Turri, Sustainability Manager at Kojamo and Lumo Homes.
HSY organised a training event for the volunteers who signed up where they were given a short training course on sorting and told what was expected of the recycling ambassadors. After the training, the ambassadors distributed to the residents of their buildings a cover letter encouraging sorting, HSY’s waste guide in Finnish and English and biowaste bags.
The recycling ambassador cooperation is part of HSY’s broader project aimed at increasing the sorting of waste in housing companies and thus contributing to an increased recycling rate. The model was first piloted in spring 2022.
“We wanted to find new ways to influence people’s sorting habits, and recycling ambassadors help us to make a difference where sorting actually takes place, that is, in homes,” says Iiris Tanner, Environmental Specialist at HSY.
Weighing results indicate an increase in sorting activity in the short term
The impact of the ambassadors’ work was assessed, for example by comparing the property-specific kilograms of biowaste and mixed waste during the two-month follow-up period to the amounts right before the measures and to the amounts during the same months in the previous year. The amount of sorted biowaste increased by an average of 10 per cent compared to the previous two months and one year before. At the measurement sites, the amount of mixed waste also decreased by a total of 10 per cent compared to the previous two months.
The monthly quantities of waste by weight were measured at 28 deep-collection sites, i.e. properties where the waste is weighed at pickup. For biowaste, the weighing results could be compared between 18 sites and, for mixed waste, between 25 sites.
The increase in the amount of biowaste paired with the decrease in the amount of mixed waste inspire hope in the success of the campaign, at least in the short term. It appears that the effort to remove at least some biowaste from mixed waste for recovery was successful. A new measurement is planned to be carried out six months after the end of the project in order to determine whether the measures have had longer-lasting effects.
“I was happy to see such good results. In particular, we were pleasantly surprised by the large number of people who took part in the campaign. I would like to thank our active recycling ambassadors for their valuable work,” says Turri.
The recycling ambassadors also provided a lot of valuable feedback on the challenges of sorting. According to the feedback survey filled out by the ambassadors, about 37 per cent of them noticed positive changes in the sorting behaviour of their neighbours already a month after distributing the materials.
“It is our hope that the work with rental homes to promote recycling and sorting will continue in as many properties as possible and bring about permanent changes. We aim to continue working with different rental housing companies at least through this year and next year,” says Tanner.
For more information:
Niina Turri, Sustainability Manager, Kojamo plc, tel. +358 20 508 4018, niina.turri@kojamo.fi
Iris Tanner, Project Manager, HSY, tel. +358 45 657 7375, iiris.tanner(at)hsy.fi
Kojamo is Finland’s largest private residential real estate company and one of the biggest investors in Finland. Our mission is to create better urban living. Lumo offers environmentally friendly housing and services for the city dweller who appreciates quality and effortlessness. We actively develop the value of our investment properties by developing new properties and our existing property portfolio. We want to be the property market frontrunner and the number one choice for our customers. Kojamo’s shares are listed on the official list of Nasdaq Helsinki. For more information, please visit: https://kojamo.fi/en