Garbage sorting instructions for beginners. How to start separating household waste. Who and under what conditions will take your garbage from home absolutely free
Waste sorting is becoming a real eco-trend. More and more Ukrainian families are gradually coming to this practice. The main thing that slows down the process and stops newcomers is the lack of space in the house for separating household waste and the question: where to put all this stuff later. In fact, organizing waste sorting is quite simple even in a small apartment. And you can hand it over for processing in different ways. Today in Kiev, recyclable materials are accepted by the project "Ukraine without smittya", the chain of supermarkets "Silpo", Kievkommunservice and Kievgorvtorresursy. And for those who find it difficult to carry garbage to recycling points, there is a free recycling service Ecola.
Where to start sorting waste
Waste sorting at home can be organized compactly / istockphoto.com
The first "stop" to the separation of household waste is the banal lack of free space in the kitchen. The prospect of keeping four trash cans under the sink instead of one will stop any hostess. In fact, this is not necessary: ordinary cardboard boxes will do for recyclable waste.
You can put them on the balcony or negotiate with neighbors so that the boxes stand on the staircase. Taking into account the fact that only inorganic waste is recycled, there will be no unpleasant smell from such household containers either in the apartment or in the entrance. Moreover, your initiative can encourage neighbors to join separate waste collection.
Ideally, you will need four boxes: for glass, for paper, for metal and for plastic. If you are just getting on the path of separate garbage collection, start with one thing. From what is simpler - for example, from glass or from waste paper. It is best to first find the nearest collection point for recyclable materials, and find out what is accepted for processing there. So that you can conveniently and quickly hand over the contents of the boxes.
Be sure to clarify what exactly you can take for recycling. For example, receipts, cigarette packs, dry napkins and towels will not be recycled from waste paper. From metal - it is impossible to hand over the foil and cans under pressure. From glass - mirrors, dishes and vases will not work. It will be difficult for beginners to sort plastic waste: here you will have to look at the container and look for special marks on it.
Each collection point for recyclable materials has its own rules for the reception of different types of waste. At the end of the article, you can find the basic principles for sorting that you need to adhere to in order to hand over waste for recycling for the Ecola service.
How to sort your trash properly
There are certain requirements for sorting garbage by type / istockphoto.com
The most important rule, which is set by all collection points for household waste, is that garbage should be as clean as possible. This means that all cans, bottles and food bags must be thoroughly washed and dried before discarding. It will take a little of your time, but there is a plus: the container will not smell and can be stored for quite a long time.
For compact sorting, it is better to squeeze and crush garbage / istockphoto.com
To reduce the space your waste takes up in the boxes, it must be properly compressed before disposal. It is enough to tear the cartons at the sides to flatten them. Milk or juice bags flatten perfectly if you let the air out of them beforehand. Plastic bottles are a separate topic altogether. If in the "original" form no more than 5-7 bottles are placed in the trash can, then in the "crumpled" state more than a hundred will fit in there. Glass containers can be broken (not only whole bottles and jars are accepted for processing, but also cullet), or can be folded according to the principle of "nesting dolls": place small jars and bottles in more capacity.
Where to take the sorted waste
Containers for glass and plastic are in all districts of Kiev / istockphoto.com
This is the second "stop" in the issue of separation of household waste, which for many becomes a decisive brake. There are still not very many garbage sorting stations and recycling points in Ukraine. For example, in the capital this is the project "Ukraine without smittya" (one reception point in Goloseevsky district, st. Saperno-Slobodskaya, 25): here you can bring waste already sorted according to requirements or decompose it on site with the help of a consultant.
In addition, the UBS project cooperates with the Silpo supermarket chain. Within the framework of the joint project Silpo Recycling, three waste processing points have already been opened in the capital (st. Theodore Dreiser, 8; st. Kalnyshevsky, 2; st. Zdolbunovskaya, 4). Also, near many supermarkets of the chain there are sorting containers where you can take out your garbage at any convenient time.
Glass and plastic can be thrown into the multi-colored containers of the Kievkommunservice enterprise. They are available in all districts of the capital, and the exact location of the containers nearest to you can be found on the website kks.kiev.ua. Also, the sorted waste can be handed over to the oldest waste processing enterprise in Kiev, Kievgorvtorresursy. They accept not only glass and plastic, they will also take waste paper and metal waste from you. The only drawback: at each collection point, the type of recyclable materials is limited. That is, paper waste will have to be transported to one place, and plastic waste to another.
Many recycling points in Kiev take only one type of waste / istockphoto.com
However, the Ecola service is now considered the most comfortable in terms of recycling in Kiev. This is a joint Ukrainian-American startup that was launched last year and has already won many fans. The fact is that for Ecola you don't even need to sort waste by type and put it in different containers. It is enough just to put everything that is to be recycled in one bag.
As soon as your bag reaches a volume of 120 liters (we remind you that the garbage must be washed and it is highly desirable compressed before discarding) or will weigh 30 kg, you create an export request using the chatbot of the Ecola service in Telegram. At the agreed time, a courier arrives at your address and picks up the package right from under the door. All this does not cost you a penny: the garbage will be taken out absolutely free of charge. The only request to the consumers of the service is to carefully select what is being scrapped.
Waste paper
Accepted: paper, cardboard, books, magazines, notebooks, sketchbooks, postcards, newspapers, TetraPak, egg and equipment packaging, paper dishes.
Do not accept: greasy and oily paper, foil paper, photographs, wallpaper, napkins and paper towels, toilet paper, tracing paper, receipts, cigarette packs.
Glass
Accepted: bottles, cans, cullet
Do not accept: mirrors, porcelain and ceramics, dishes, lamps, vases
Metal
Accepted: aluminum cans and dishes, cutlery, canned food cans, can lids
Do not accept: foil, pressurized cans
Plastic
Accepted: bottles and caps for drinks, dairy products, chemicals, oils; bottles and tubes from cosmetic products; films for packaging goods; plastic bags; packages from dairy products; buckets, basins, toys
Do not accept: any dirty or wet recyclable materials with organic waste residues; products without marking (except for films and foam), products with inappropriate marking.
Nota-Bene: all plastic products must be labeled according to whether they are recyclable. Markings are combinations of English letters, which are almost impossible to remember the first time. The Ecola chatbot gives a clear checklist of what markings they accept. Take a screenshot of this information and save it to your phone. So it will be easier for you not only to sort through the trash, but also to shop in the store. It is better to abandon products that will not be recycled in the future and find an eco-friendly alternative to them.
You will also be interested to read:
How long does it take for food waste, diapers and other waste to decompose?
10 kind and instructive cartoons on how to protect nature
