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Carton packaging sorting instructions for households

YES

Empty, clean, dry, flattened and packed inside one another

Corrugated cardboard boxes
Cartons, e.g. milk and juice cartons
Cardboard containers for ready meals, packaging for dry products
Cartons for dry products, e.g. cereal and biscuit packets
Paper bags
Pizza boxes, egg cartons
Disposable tableware made of cardboard
Toilet and kitchen roll tubes
Wrapping paper, e.g. copy paper wrappings
Cardboard carriers for beverages, e.g. six-packs and cases

NO

Plastic: e.g. plastic bags and wrappings, polystyrene, bubble wrap

Any packaging that contains residues of dangerous substances and pressurised packaging (e.g. paint, chemicals, oils, medicines, hairspray) must be taken to your local hazardous waste collection point.

Printable sorting instructions

How to sort carton packaging at home and at Rinki eco take-back points (in Finnish)

The weather is always right for recycling your packaging

How carefully do I need to clean carton packaging?

Remove any food as carefully as possible so that no food remains on the packaging. Drain milk or other liquid from the carton. Rinse the packaging quickly with cold water. Please allow the packaging to dry out a little before placing it into the take-back container.

Why do I have to flatten carton packaging and put them into one packaging? It’s too much trouble.

Carton packaging, such as cardboard boxes, is light but takes up a lot of room in a container. In order to avoid transporting fresh air, it is a good idea to flatten the packaging. The smaller the packaging that is placed in the container, the more waste the container can hold. This means that more packaging can be transported in one go, and this reduces the number of transport journeys.
So in the long run, it is worth flattening the packaging as this small effort saves emissions from transport.

Where should I put the plastic top of the milk carton?

Please remove it and place it with plastic packaging waste or into a container for mixed waste. Mixed waste is used for energy production in Finland.

Can I place wrapping paper, ribbons and bows into the carton container?

No, you cannot. Wrapping paper contains a lot of ink and coating, and for this reason it is not suitable for recycling with carton or paper. Put wrapping paper into the container for mixed waste material.
Tip: keep wrapping paper that is in good condition so you can reuse it.

All questions