We perform hundreds of environmental acts together every day

1. More than 99% of our waste is recovered, either as energy or material.
2. We collect biowaste, metals, glass packaging, paper and cardboard for material recovery. We treat biowaste ourselves, whereas other recyclable waste is forwarded for collection by the producers (manufacturers and importers).
3. Biowaste collection began in 1995, in Kangasala and Tampere. It is now collected in 17 local municipalities. Biowaste is composted to produce bio-soil at the Tarastenjärvi composting plant. Processing will be transferred to the Koukkujärvi biogas plant in 2020.
4. Sludge from industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants is composted to produce potting soil at the Koukkujärvi waste centre.
5. Metal is supplied as a raw material for the metal industry. Recycled metal is used to make packaging and bicycle and car parts.
6. Glass packaging is delivered to producers, which export it for use in the manufacture of new glass packaging.
7. Finnish paper mills use recycled paper as a raw material for newspapers and tissue paper.
8. Cardboard is taken to a board mill, where any plastic coatings are separated for energy recovery and aluminium coatings for material recycling. Cardboard fibre is used as a raw material for products such as corrugated board, packaging board, envelopes and paper tubes.
9. Plastic packaging is processed by Fortum’s Plastics Refinery in Riihimäki. The packaging is made into plastic granules, which can be used e.g. in plastic bags and buckets. We are trialling the collection of all plastic in Orivesi.
10. Metals, plastics and glass are separated from electrical equipment for recycling, and hazardous waste for safe handling.
11. Wood waste is made into chips for composting. Some wood waste is utilised in energy production.
12. Soil and stone aggregates are re-used in landfill structures at waste centres.
13. Slag from the energy recovery of mixed waste is used in civil engineering and concrete products. Metals are also separated from bottom ash.
14. Yard stones made from bottom ash have been installed in the yard of the Tarastenjärvi waste centre.
15. We handle waste management service tasks in accordance with the statutory responsibilities of our shareholders. Protection of health and the environment is our prime objective. Our statutory responsibilities include household waste, municipal waste from public service activities, and waste from municipal social and health services and education.
16. Each municipality has a waste station, where households can take hazardous waste, sorted recyclable waste, electrical equipment, and mixed and wood waste. Around 124,000 customers visit our 21 waste stations every year.
17. Around 300 heavy loads and 500 small loads of waste are brought to our waste centres at Koukkujärvi in Nokia and Tarastenjärvi in Tampere each day.
18. We accept hazardous household waste such as paints, oils, batteries and solvents free of charge. Hazardous waste is brought to us for safe disposal.
19. The Varma station at the Tarastenjärvi waste centre takes companies’ hazardous waste.
20. The truck duo Repe&Romu collects hazardous waste, scrap metal and electrical equipment free of charge from households. The duo makes 380 stops in 17 municipalities.
21. Vartti containers, to which residents can take hazardous household waste, can be found in the yards of service stations and hardware stores.
22. We offer free metal and glass collection for properties that have mixed waste and biowaste collection. More than 5,000 properties are covered by the related collection service.
23. We supplement producers’ packaging waste disposal network with 72 recycling points of our own, to which metal, glass packaging, cardboard and paper can be taken.
24. Inhabitants of sparsely populated areas are served by around 500 regional waste points, i.e. local waste collection points.
25. Detached houses in South and East Tampere use so-called Home Gate Collection, with sorted recyclable waste being directly collected from the ‘front gate’.
26. We organise an annual brushwood collection campaign for the people of Tampere and Pirkkala. Collected brushwood is chipped to provide a compost ingredient.
27. The Repsikka pickup service will help if transportation is an issue.
28. We focus on online interaction in our customer service.
29. Waste management service points can be found from the national online service: www.kierrätys.info
30. Mixed waste is no longer disposed of in landfills, but is used to generate heat and electricity at the Tammervoima power plant. This avoids emissions of over 100,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, which would otherwise be generated by landfill. We are joint owners of the power plant, together with Tampereen Sähkölaitos.
31. Utilisation of mixed waste also increases amount of renewable energy of Tampereen Sähkölaitos by more than 20 per cent, while diversifying its range of fuels. This reduces fossil fuel consumption and prevents around 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year.
32. It has been calculated that the climate emissions avoided with the help of Tammervoima correspond to the annual emissions of around 60,000 passenger cars.
33. The plant has an energy production efficiency rate of around 90% and operates at about 98% availability. One waste bag provides enough energy for a seven-minute shower and 60 minutes of baking.
34. The power plant’s environmental impact is monitored and reported on a regular basis. It operates well below the limit values of its environmental permit.
35. Some waste loads are treated at the Essu pre-treatment plant before reaching Tammervoima. The Essu plant recovers metals and crushes waste into smaller pieces.
36. We are involved in three circular economy centre projects, in Koukkujärvi, Tarastenjärvi and Hiedanranta.
37. ECO3, which is being built in Koukkujärvi, Nokia, is a major national bio, water and circular economy business area based on cross-municipal cooperation between the public sector, companies and research institutes.
38. We are building a new bioplant in the Koukkujärvi area, to be completed by 2020, for the processing of biowaste and sewage sludge. The plant will convert waste into transport fuel, recycled fertilisers and soil. Treatment will yield at least three times the environmental benefits of current composting techniques.
39. The plant will have two waste treatment lines, allowing biowaste to be further processed into organic fertilisers for farmers.
40. In addition, a modern circular economy centre will be built close to Tarastenjärvi, for the processing of recycled materials and soil. The Tammervoima recovery power plant, our final waste disposal area, our pre-treatment plant and our hazardous waste station mutually complement one another.
41. Our company is involved in planning waste management and soil remediation in the Hiedanranta circular economy district of Tampere.
42. Centralised tendering for waste transportation enables efficient logistics, which reduces emissions. Based on the current transport system and logistics planning, loads are filled and unnecessary duplication of road transportation is avoided.
43. In 2003, waste trucks were fitted with a navigation system based on satellite positioning, to eliminate paper driving rosters. The system provides all trucks with a real-time connection to our customer service.
44. Six gas-fuelled trucks empty waste in Lempäälä and Tampere. Our goal is to upgrade most of our waste trucks to gas. This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from waste shipments by 1,900 tonnes of CO2 per year. It will also lead to noise reductions.
45. Environmental standards are included in our waste transportation contracts.
46. Automatic waste collection systems (Vuores and Ranta-Tampella) eliminate the need to use noisy, emission-creating waste trucks near properties.
47. Compared to traditional waste transportation, it also reduces energy consumption and other environmental impacts.
48. Customer satisfaction surveys suggest that automatic waste collection motivates customers to sort waste.
49. As a result, 21 old landfills have been closed in municipalities and waste management has been centralised in the Koukkujärvi and Tarastenjärvi waste centres.
50. We currently only dispose of 1% of our waste. Materials such as insulating wool, tiles and other non-combustible waste end up in disposal.
51. The disposal sites completed in 2007 were built in accordance with the EU Landfill Directive. These areas have very dense structural layers, as well as water management and landfill gas collection.
52. We remain responsible for old, closed disposal sites for at least 30 years. Aftercare includes the collection of landfill gas and water.
53. Old disposal areas are landscaped to blend in with the environment. The success of landscaping is studied using e.g. emission measurements indicative of high-quality landscaping activities.
54. Waste centres have a protective role regarding seagull species that are endangered or vulnerable in Finland. The effects of waste treatment on bird numbers have been studied for decades.
55. The disposal areas of the Koukkujärvi and Tarastenjärvi waste centres have comprehensive gas collection systems used to collect landfill gases. In 2018, 1,266 tonnes of methane were recovered.
56. Gas has been collected at Tarastenjärvi since 1997. The gas is used for the production of heat and electricity. We sell electricity produced in excess of our own needs to the public grid as green electricity.
57. Gas has been collected at Koukkujärvi since 2001. Gas from Koukkujärvi is sold to Leppäkosken Lämpö Oy, which uses it to produce district heat for properties in Nokia. Part of Koukkujärvi’s gas is burned as a gas flare.
58. In 2016, Finland’s largest biogas pumping station and microturbine plant was completed in Tarastenjärvi, markedly intensifying the use of landfill gas.
59. Runoff and leachate form at disposal sites in the Tarastenjärvi and Koukkujärvi waste centres. Their collection and proper treatment is a key element of environmentally responsible waste management. Runoff and leachate are collected in equalisation basins at the waste centres. From there, the wastewater is discharged along sewers to wastewater treatment plants in Tampere and Nokia.
60. The waste centres’ impacts on nearby water bodies are regularly monitored by the Water Protection Association of the River Kokemäenjoki (KVVY).
61. Collection of sludge from septic tanks and cess pools was transferred to Pirkanmaan Jätehuolto in 2017. Centralised collection ensures that sludge is collected and treated properly, and does not contribute to the eutrophication of water bodies.
62. We provide the public with guidance and advice on sorting and environmental issues. We also invest in the environmental education of children and young people in particular.
63. Waste management information packages, the Roskalehti magazine and Roskakalenteri calendar are distributed to each home every year.
64. People can use our ‘sorting’ search feature to find the answers to their waste problems.
65. Our environmental education officers train groups at Tammervoima’s power plant and waste centres. They also visit schools, associations and various events.
66. We arrange the Jätejengi puppet show for daycare centre children.
67. Our ‘Bioman’ musical theatre performance instructs first and second graders on the sorting of biowaste and encourages them to ‘clean their plates’ and minimise food waste.
68. We also provide environmental education for sixth graders via the Business Village.
69. Lower and upper secondary school pupils make waste-themed Trash Films for the Tampere Short Film Festival.
70. We offer our residents free composting courses.
71. The Martha Organization’s advisory network provides guidance on waste-related issues for people in sparsely populated areas.
72. We are involved in numerous environmental projects not only in Pirkanmaa, but also throughout Finland and internationally.
73. A life cycle analysis (LCA) of the emissions, environmental benefits and economic impacts of separate collection provides information for developing waste sorting at source, so as to genuinely benefit the environment.
74. We perform waste composition studies.
75. We are developing soil remediation services (PIMAKE).
76. We are developing waste weighing and filling rate monitoring (PAYT).
77. Our waste management and circular economy model has won international awards — we were among the top 15 in the Guangzhou International Award 2016 and won silver in the Eurocities Award 2017.
78. The environmental state of waste centres and Tammervoima’s surrounding areas are regularly monitored and the information is reported to the authorities.
79. The Association for Finnish Work has awarded the company the Key Flag and Social Enterprise marks for its important waste management work and activities that promote the sustainable materials economy in Finland.
80. Our operating system has ISO 14001 environmental certification.
81. We are a founding member of Ekokumppanit Oy, which has been promoting sustainable lifestyles since 2003.
82. Each year, through Ekokumpppanit, we organise various campaigns promoting material efficiency and waste prevention.
83. We campaign to promote food waste reduction in daycare centres and schools: Knights of the leftover-free table (daycare centres), Zero leftovers (primary schools) and Did you leave anything? (secondary schools)
84. The Korjaa.se (Repair it) online service provides the contact information of repair professionals in Pirkanmaa
85. You don’t have to own everything yourself, but can borrow via the lainaa.se (Borrow it) online service.
86. The ‘Vastuullisen vaatetuksen opas’ (Guide to Responsible Clothing) provides tips on sustainable choices and good care of clothes.
87. Every year, we hire 24 young summer trainees to remove rubbish from the surroundings of the Koukkujärvi and Tarastenjärvi waste centres.
88. We have regularly cleaned up the surroundings of regional waste collection points and eco-centres when emptying bins, after receiving feedback on problems, and during separate cleaning cycles.
89. Together with Ekokumppanit, we organise street cleaning bees for entire towns and cities on behalf of the municipalities.
90. You can order waste management services for various events from us.
91. We reduce printing out to a minimum in our workplaces.
92. Our offices are equipped with bins for sorting all types of waste.
93. We have our own coffee mugs and avoid using disposable tableware.
94. We also read common magazines and operate carpools where possible.
95. We turn off lights and our computers when not using them.
96. Automated office lights and taps reduce consumption in our offices.
97. We only take food that we eat at our catering facilities.
98. Tap water beats bottled water every time!
99. We use our legs to move around. Cycling and walking to work are highly recommended. We also prefer to use public transport.
100. We prefer services and ecological products as gifts and prizes.