Eco Baltic environment | “Eco Baltic environment” in the pilot project “To blow or not to blow?!” will evaluate the quality of biological waste sorting

With the aim of identifying the current disturbing factors in the sorting of biodegradable waste, as well as evaluating the quality of the existing sorting of biological waste, the environmental management company SIA “Eco Baltia vide” in cooperation with the house managers SIA “Rīgas namu pravādvalds” (RNP) and SIA “Latvijas Namsaimnieks” (LN ) will implement the pilot project “Blow or not blow?!” from April 24 to July 31. During this, the culture and quality of biological waste sorting in four apartment buildings in Riga will be evaluated.

Based on the biological waste monitoring carried out by “Eco Baltia vide” in the four apartment buildings involved in the project, as well as the observations obtained by the janitors of these buildings about the sorting habits of the residents and the most typical mistakes, it is planned to develop and implement solutions to stimulate the activity of the residents in sorting biological waste and promote correct sorting.

Chairman of the board of “Eco Baltia vide” Jānis Aizbalts evaluates biological waste sorting habits and the need for a pilot project: “The previous experience in the sorting of light packaging allows us to conclude that the introduction of a new habit of sorting waste takes some time. Although we have been offering the sorting of biological waste as a service to customers in Riga since 2020, we see that residents sort it quite lazily. Household waste is very often thrown into containers. In this pilot project, we aim to identify the main stumbling blocks and reasons that most often hinder participation in sorting. They, in turn, will serve as a basis for the implementation of solutions that will help motivate citizens to get more involved and sort correctly. We are happy that the janitors of these houses have come to help us in this task, who see the daily habits of people best on a daily basis.”

“Sorting biological waste is an essential step towards a sustainable future, and public involvement in this process is indispensable. In order to successfully implement this important initiative, it is necessary to actively involve citizens and ensure their education about the importance and benefits of sorting biological waste. As a manager, we strongly support this campaign, because only with joint efforts and an educated society can we all achieve real results and promote environmental protection and a sustainable lifestyle,” admits Director of SIA Latvijas Namsaimnieks, A. Karlsone.

At the end of the project, the achieved results will be evaluated – how the sorting habits have improved, as well as the possible financial benefit from biological waste sorting will be monitored. Experience and various studies show that when biological waste is separated from household waste, the filling of the household waste container can be reduced by approximately 30-40%, which allows to reduce the waste management bill. In order to motivate the residents of the apartment buildings involved in the project to develop and strengthen this habit, residents are provided with a 30% discount for waste management during the project.

Māris Ozoliņš, chairman of the board of SIA “Rīgas namu pārvāndārs” states: “The benefits for residents and society from sorting biological waste are lower fees for waste management, as well as an investment in environmental protection. However, these benefits are only possible with proper sorting. Many residents still do not know what to put in the containers and what not, so household waste also ends up in them and as a result they have to pay more, and the waste is no longer suitable for recycling. A change of habits is needed here, which requires time and education of the entire population. As part of the pilot project, we want to develop solutions that would help residents get involved in sorting and do it right. I hope that it will be possible to achieve greater public understanding of the importance of biological waste sorting.”

Laila Uzkalne, the janitor of the Zvaigznāi gatve multi-apartment building, representative of “Rīgas namu pārvādāt” shares her experience: “My observation is that over the years, residents sort their waste better and families with children sort it most actively. However, it is quite difficult to sort biological waste. Those residents who want to separate biological waste do so in the same way, but there are those who need a reminder, a special motivation. It is possible that there is also a lack of information on how to sort correctly. I hope that seeing a discount on the bill for participating in this project, residents will be motivated to sort organic waste in the future as well.”

In Riga, an infrastructure for biological waste sorting must be provided near multi-apartment buildings

From January 1, 2024, the conditions will come into force, which provide for the introduction and availability of a biological waste sorting system throughout Latvia. On the other hand, from March 1 of this year, all apartment buildings with more than 10 apartments must sort organic waste in Riga. Almost 2,000 “Eco Baltia vide” containers for sorting biodegradable waste are already located in Riga, and the demand for them has stabilized.

Information on what can and cannot be thrown into the organic waste container is available HERE.