The better we sort our waste, the larger part of it can be reused. That way, a smaller amount of natural resources is needed for producing new materials. In Lumo buildings, recycling is made more efficient in close cooperation with the residents.

A lot has been achieved. For instance, most Lumo buildings now have plastic collection containers. This has been a frequent request from the residents. Recycling containers and biowaste skips are orders for resident groups looking after the yard and building. This way, Lumo can ensure that the waste goes to the correct place. The buildings are looked after, which extends the life cycle of technical systems, for example, preventing the need to replace them prematurely. These are only a few examples.

In addition, Lumo is involved in the Biorent project funded by the Ministry of the Environment. It’s part of a larger programme promoting nutrient recycling and improving the condition of the Archipelago Sea.

“The goal of the Biorent project is making the sorting of biowaste more efficient and decreasing food waste in rental properties. The purpose is to find the best design solutions for kitchens to make recycling as easy and possible and chart what kinds of biowaste bins best work in apartments, among other things,” says Reima Kettunen, Property Manager at the Lumo Home Centre in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.

Talking about and informing Lumo residents of recycling-related themes are a large part of the project.

“Five Lumo buildings are included in the project, and we have tried out different things in them. In some buildings, we have spruced up the general appearance of the waste container rooms. We have also tried distributing new kinds of biowaste bins and bags to the residents. Residents of one building were taken to the food waste restaurant Loop to learn how to use as much of ingredients as possible to reduce the amount of biowaste,” says Kettunen.

An interesting experiment has been inviting a Waste Trainer, a kind of recycling advisor, to an event for the building. The Waste Trainer guided the residents in questions related to recycling.

“In addition, the Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority HSY is creating waste room posters that will advise sorting using Finnish, English, other languages as well as symbols. Hopefully, this will help more residents understand sorting.”

Now, it is being monitored how the different experiments are affecting the amount of waste in different buildings and the cleanliness of the waste disposal room, for instance. The result of the entire Biorent project is to provide measured data on the effects of the different methods and, this way, find the best ways for making the sorting of biowaste more efficient and decreasing the amount of biowaste. The purpose is to put the best ideas into practice on a larger scale.

These two videos show, how you should recycle biowaste and why recycling of biowaste is important.

See Lumo homes' recycling and sorting guide