SORTING WASTE

Waste sorting at the student residences

There are 4 separate trash containers at each residential hall – packaging waste, paper and cardboard, bio-waste, and domestic waste. Please make sure you take your trash to the appropriate container. One carelessly thrown trash bag is enough to cancel out all the previous efforts of sorting waste because the contents of the trash container will no qualify as sorted trash.

If you are unsure what type of trash it is or if you are not interested in sorting waste, please take your trash to the domestic waste can!

Many components of old batteries are toxic and pose a hazard to our natural environment and our health. You can take your old batteries to the designated box at your residence hall lobby.

Some tips for sorting waste

  • Clean the packages – all the packaging waste, which is collected separately from domestic waste, should be clean and dry. Rinsed if necessary. Dirty packaging and paper belongs to domestic waste.
  • Sort the waste by type – place only clean and dry paper and cardboard to the appropriate container.
  • Juice boxes, cartons, bottles, jars etc that contain no food waste is all packaging waste.
  • Everything else, including plastic milk packages, foil chips packs, food waste or dirty trash is domestic waste.
  • Press the packaging waste together – cardboard boxes, juice boxes etc should be folded or pressed together to save space in the container. Smaller packaging can be put into bigger ones of the same type.
  • Bio-waste – solid biodegradable food waste that is placed into the container either in a biodegradable bag or a paper bag. Liquids, non-biodegradable waste (plastic bags, packages etc) or any other waste unsuitable for composts must not be placed into the container.

Test your waste sorting skills in this game.

Tartu city waste management

Information about waste management and where you can take different types of waste can be found HERE.

Recycling bottles/cans

Estonia has a refundable packaging deposit system. You can return the plastic, glass and metal packaging’s of water, carbonized drinks, beer, cider, perry and alcohol beverages to the vending machine to get your deposit back. More information is available HERE.

Second-hand

Clothing and other things you might not need anymore can be offered to other tenants via Facebook groups created for each residence hall.

You can also donate your things to Uuskasutuskeskus.