My recycling habits: “I aim for effectiveness,” says Tuomo Aunola, Senior Advisor at the Pirkanmaa ELY Centre.

What are your sorting and recycling habits like? 

I aim for effectiveness, by which I mean that I recycle larger quantities of waste but I’m not too fussy about the smaller stuff. I try to be particularly diligent when it comes to waste that I know contains valuable raw materials for reuse.
 

What kind of packaging do you sort for recycling at home?  

At home we sort all our packaging, no matter the material. Though, I have to say that the members of my family sort packaging with varying success.
 

How do you sort and recycle your packaging waste?  

I use Rinki ecopoints. We live in a detached house, and we share a collection point for glass and metal with our neighbours. We take plastic and cardboard to a Rinki ecopoint.
 

How long have you been recycling your packaging waste? 

I think my situation is similar to that of most Finnish people. I have gradually increased the amount of waste that I sort over the years. The biggest change in my habits in recent years has concerned plastic packaging, since a nearby RINKI ecopoint started to accept plastic packaging. As a result, my family has managed to reduce the frequency with which the mixed waste container is emptied.
 

What else does your household recycle, besides packaging waste? 

Basically, we recycle everything that can be recycled. We have a shared collection point for organic waste and, of course, we recycle beverage containers and paper. I’m careful with batteries and electrical appliances, just for the sake of safety, so they don’t end up in the wrong place. But, of course, a lot still ends up in mixed waste.
 

What do you find most difficult about the sorting instructions? 

I think I know the sorting instructions maybe even too well. Hardly anything surprises me. Members of my family sometimes find it difficult to remember that non-packaging products are not recycled with packaging waste, even when they’re made of the same material; for example, plastic buckets and toys are not recycled with plastic packaging because they are not packaging. 

Tuomo Aunola’s tips for sorting: 

It’s worth taking the time to organise the sorting facilities at home and ensure that there is a place for each packaging material. This makes it easier for sorting waste to become a habit.
 

WHO?
Tuomo Aunola

• Senior Advisor at the Pirkanmaa ELY Centre.
• Responsible for monitoring operations related to the producer responsibility for packaging and beverage containers.
• The Ely Centre monitors the implementation of producer responsibility regulations and producer activities in Finland. In addition to packaging, the producer responsibility in waste management covers batteries and accumulators, cars, electrical and electronic equipment, tyres, paper, filtered tobacco products, wet wipers, balloons and fishing gear containing plastic. 

My recycling habits is a series in which Rinki’s stakeholders reveal their sorting and recycling habits and share their sorting tips with the readers of the Rinki online magazine. For more sorting tips, visit the Rinki blog!