Glass packaging sorting instructions for households

YES

Empty, with caps and lids removed

Glass bottles
Glass jars

It is not necessary to remove labels and bottle neck rings. Rinse dirty glass packaging with cold water if necessary.

Please return deposit glass bottles to reverse vending machines in shops!

NO

Healthcare packaging such as vials and ampoules
Plastic: e.g. plastic bags and wrappings, polystyrene, bubble wrap
Porcelain or ceramics
Glass dishes (e.g. drinking glasses, oven dishes, coffee pots, lids for pots and pans)
Crystal
Opal glass (e.g. some cosmetics packaging and ornamental objects)
Windows or mirrors
Light bulbs or lamps

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 glass packaging at home and at Rinki eco take-back points (in Finnish)

The weather is always right for recycling your packaging

How carefully should I wash glass bottles and jars?

It is enough to rinse them quickly with cold water, for example to remove the last bits of jam from the jar. You do not need to wash them thoroughly.

Why are only bottles and jars allowed in the glass packaging container?

Drinking glasses, coffee pots, oven dishes, porcelain, ceramics and window or mirror glass are not allowed into the container since glass packaging will be reused in new glass packaging.

There are certain quality requirements for the recycled material used in the industrial process, which is the reason that only glass bottles and jars are suitable for recycling.
The properties of other glass materials prevent them from being used in recycling. For example, their melting points vary, or they have other properties that make them impossible or difficult to be recycled.

Can I put cough medicine bottles and other glass packaging bought at a pharmacy into the glass packaging collection?

Yes, but return them empty and without the cap. Labels and rings left from the cap do not need to be removed.

Can I put glass graveside candleholders into the container for glass packaging?

No, you cannot. Some graveside candleholders are made of non-recyclable borosilicate glass and some may contain lead glass, which are not suitable for recycling. To ensure the quality of the glass collected, no graveside candleholders made of glass should be put into the container. You can put the metal covers of candleholders as well as tin jars for outdoor fires and aluminium tea light cases into the container for metal packaging. Some graveyards have their own collection for graveside candleholders.

All questions