Summer brings yard work and garden maintenance – and with it a large amount of garden waste. Garden waste should not be placed in large quantities in the emptying biowaste container. Larger quantities of twigs and raking waste belong in your own yard composter, municipal collection points or the Hangasuo waste center. Biowaste in our area is decomposed into biogas at the Gasum plant in Honkajoki, and garden waste is not part of this process. It decomposes more slowly and especially thick branches and twigs can clog biowaste processing lines. Sometimes garden waste comes with sand or stones, which can damage equipment.

What is the difference between garden waste and biowaste?

Both come from nature, their properties and processing differ. Biowaste is organic waste generated in the kitchen, such as food scraps, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable peels, and kitchen paper. These are usually soft and decompose quickly. Garden waste again consists of plant materials collected from the garden, such as twigs, branches, leaves, grass clippings and wilted flowers. Garden waste may contain harder materials that decompose more slowly. “Recently, there has also been a lot of soil in bio-waste containers and it has no place in a bio-waste container. Loose soil is particularly bad in a ventilated bio-waste container, because it blocks the ventilation holes and the properties of the container are lost. If the bio-waste container contains something that does not belong there, such as soil, cardboard or plastic bags, you will have to order mixed waste emptying for the container at an additional cost,” says Maija Nuotio, circular economy planner at Keräämö.

Summer brings caterpillars – this is how you can prevent the fly problem

Fly larvae may appear in your organic waste container in warm weather, as they thrive in damp conditions. Fly larvae are harmless, but they are certainly unpleasant when there are a lot of them in the container. The larvae will disappear on their own when the weather cools down, but until then, you can try to prevent them from appearing by reducing the moisture in the organic waste and packing it well, says Nuotio.

Tips: How to prevent moisture and flies in biowaste

• The more biowaste dries and gets air, the less odorous it is.
• The ventilated bio-waste container has a shelf where the bio-bag should be placed to dry first. Do not block the container's ventilation holes or bottom.
• Pack the organic waste in a paper bag. If necessary, you can place used kitchen paper, newspaper or an egg carton at the bottom of the organic waste bag to absorb moisture.
• Absorb fats, oils and other liquids used in cooking with paper towels, for example. Wrap fish scraps in newspaper before putting them in the organic waste.
• Store the biowaste bag in an airy container. Let the biowaste dry and air circulate so the biowaste doesn't start to smell. If your indoor biowaste container has a lid, it's a good idea to leave it open.
• Wrap the paper bag tightly before taking it out to the bio-waste container.

For more information:
Maija Nuotio
Circular economy planner, Keräämö Oy
tel. 044 701 2898
maija.nuotio@keraamo.fi
www.keraamo.fi