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Waste sorting for flats

Live in a flat and not sure how to sort your waste? Find answers in the ‘yes please’ and ‘no thank you’ list or search for a specific waste item in the ABC of Waste.

Search by waste type

Your waste must be sorted so that it can be recycled. If you are unsure how to sort the different waste types, see the lists below for an overview. If you need answers about more specific waste items, you can look up most of them in the ABC of Waste.

Look up the ABC of Waste (in Danish)

Food waste

Food waste must only be sorted into the green bags we distribute. When you run out, you can obtain more bags from a centrally located box, e.g. in the courtyard, or by contacting the person responsible for waste at your property.

Do not overfill the bag and always tie a knot. Place it in the container carefully so that it does not burst. Change the bag more frequently during periods of hot weather to avoid odours, flies, etc.

The bags are for food waste only and must not be used for your residual waste or for other purposes.

Yes please to:

  • All food waste without packaging
    (both cooked and raw)
  • Bread and cakes
  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Meat, cold cuts, bones
  • Leftover rice, potato, porridge and pasta
  • Cheese and milk products
  • Egg shells
  • Seafood and fish
  • Coffee grounds, filters and tea bags
  • Cut flowers
  • Fat and gravy

No thanks to:

  • Nappies, sanitary towels, cotton buds and
    disposable wipes (residual waste)
  • Pizza trays (residual waste)
  • Napkins and kitchen paper (residual waste)
  • Garden waste (garden waste)
  • Cat litter (residual waste)
  • Pet bedding (residual waste)
  • Biodegradable plastic (residual waste)
  • Potted plants and soil (garden waste)
  • Ash and cigarette butts (residual waste)

Residual waste

Residual waste consists mainly of hygiene waste and small pieces of discarded materials.

Please note that, as of 1 January 2022, food and drink cartons from juice, milk, etc., must be recycled and collected in the same bin as plastic.

Yes please to:

  • Pizza trays
  • Soiled paper and packaging
  • Napkins and kitchen paper
  • Empty tube packagings
  • Bags from crisps, coffee and frozen food
    (with metal film)
  • Nappies
  • Sanitary towels and cotton buds
  • Vacuum bags
  • Soot and ash (in a sealed bag)
  • Sweepings (in a sealed bag)
  • Cigarette butts
  • Animal droppings and bedding, etc.
    (from rabbits and hamsters, for example)

No thanks to:

  • Food and drink cartons from juice, milk
    etc. (plastics bin)
  • Recyclable waste (recyclable waste bins)
  • Hazardous waste, e.g. chemicals, energy-saving light bulbs and batteries (environmental waste box, environmental waste cabinet, recycling centre)
  • Electronics (environmental waste box, electronics bin, recycling centre)

Paper

Waste paper must be clean and dry. Paper clips are OK.

Yes please to:

  • Newspapers and printed matter
  • Ads and brochures
  • Magazines and weeklies
  • Comics
  • Printer paper
  • Envelopes, window envelopes and letters
  • Receipts
  • Paper bags

No thanks to:

  • Food and drink cartons from juice, milk
    etc. (plastics bin)
  • Pizza trays (residual waste)
  • Porridge sachets, flour bags and soiled paper (residual waste)
  • Gift wrap and ribbon (residual waste, bulky waste, recycling centre)
  • Cardboard, card and egg boxes (cardboard bin, bulky waste bin, recycling centre)
  • Books (recycling centre)
  • Plastic sleeves and plastic foil (plastics bin)

If your property does not have a paper bin, take paper to public recycling stations or the recycling centre.

Glass

Glass packaging must be emptied of liquid so it is non-drip, and food residues must be scraped out. Do not use resources such as hot water and soap for cleaning, as this will eliminate the beneficial environmental effect.

Labels may remain attached. Unscrew metal caps and recycle them with metal.

Yes please to:

  • Glass bottles (non-deposit)
  • Glass packaging
  • Jam jars
  • Preserve jars
  • Wine bottles
  • Drinking glasses (non-crystal glass)
  • Shards of all of the above

No thanks to:

  • Ceramics, porcelain, stoneware, crystal glass,
    oven-proof glass and dishes (environmental waste box, recycling centre)
  • Glass packaging from chemicals and light bulbs (environmental waste box, environmental waste cabinet, recycling centre)
  • Flat glass (e.g. window panes and mirrors) (recycling centre)
  • Medicines and pill bottles (pharmacy, recycling centre)
  • Light bulbs (environmental waste box, environmental waste cabinet, recycling centre)

If your property does not have a glass bin, take glass waste to public recycling stations or the recycling centre.

Plastic

You may put both soft and hard plastics in the plastics bin.

Food and drink cartons from juice, milk, etc., must be recycled and collected in the same bin as plastic.

The plastic, food and drink cartons must be emptied of liquid so that it is drip-free, and any food residue must be scraped out. Do not use resources such as hot water and soap for cleaning, as this will eliminate the beneficial environmental effect. There is no need to remove labels.

Bags from crisps, coffee and frozen food consist of several composite materials and therefore cannot be recycled as either plastic or metal, so they have to go in with residual waste.

Empty packaging bearing the health hazard label (exclamation mark) can
be sorted as plastic. Packaging with other hazard labels must be placed in the environmental waste cabinet or taken to the recycling centre.

Yes please:

  • Food and drink cartons from juice, milk
    etc. 
  • Plastic packaging (empty of contents)
  • Plastic lids
  • Plastic trays
  • Plastic pots, cans, buckets
  • Plastic bottles (non-deposit)
  • Plastic foil/household film
  • Plastic bags
  • Cutlery and crockery
  • Plastic toys (no PVC or electronics)
  • Bubble wrap
  • CD and DVD sleeves
  • Food and drink cartons from juice, milk
    etc. (as of 1 January 2022)

No thanks to:

  • Plastic packaging from chemicals (environmental waste box, environmental waste cabinet, recycling centre)
  • Plastic with electronics and batteries (environmental waste box, environmental waste cabinet, recycling centre)
  • Bags from crisps, coffee and frozen food with metal film (residual waste)
  • Polystyrene and plastic-like polystyrene food trays
    (residual waste)
  • Biodegradable plastic (residual waste)
  • Pharmaceutical packaging (pharmacy, recycling centre)
  • PVC from rainwear, wellington boots and plumbing (recycling centre)
  • Tarpaulins and balls (recycling centre)
  • Gutters and drainpipes (recycling centre)
  • Melamine, e.g. mixing bowls (bulky waste, recycling centre)

Metal

Metal packaging must be emptied of liquid so that it is drip-free and scraped free of food residues. Do not use resources such as hot water and soap for cleaning, as this will eliminate the beneficial environmental effect. There is no need to remove labels.

Bags from crisps, coffee and frozen food consist of several composite materials and therefore cannot be recycled as either metal or plastic, so they have to go in with residual waste.

Aerosol cans and small electronics have to go in the environmental waste box. Large metal objects that are difficult to fit in the container must be handled as bulky waste or taken to the recycling centre.

Yes please:

  • Cans
  • Beer and soda cans (non-deposit)
  • Metal lids and caps
  • Tea light metal
  • Foil trays
  • Small pots and pans
  • Cooking utensils and cutlery
  • Coffee capsules
  • Tinfoil/silver paper
  • Nails and screws
  • Taps and mixer taps

No thanks to:

  • Metal containing electronics and batteries (environmental waste box, bulky waste, recycling centre)
  • Bags from crisps, coffee and frozen food with metal film (residual waste)
  • Aerosol cans (environmental waste box, environmental waste cabinet, recycling centre)
  • Gas cylinders, gas bottles and gas cartridges for outdoor gas grills (recycling centre)

Cardboard

Cardboard must be clean, dry and folded to take up as little space as possible.

Yes please to:

  • Cardboard boxes
  • Cardboard packaging
  • Corrugated cardboard
  • Thin card
  • Thin card packaging from food and products
  • Egg boxes
  • Kitchen paper and toilet paper tubes
  • Shoe boxes

No thanks to:

  • Pizza trays (residual waste)
  • Food and drink cartons (plastics bin)
  • Soiled cardboard packaging (residual waste)
  • Polystyrene trays/expanded polystyrene (bulky waste, residual waste, recycling centre)
  • Books (recycling centre, bulky waste)
  • Gift wrap (residual waste)
  • Paper cups and plastic-coated cardboard (residual waste)

If your property does not yet have a bin for cardboard, you can take cardboard to the recycling centre or tie it both ways with strong string as bulky waste.

Textile waste

Clothes suitable for being handed on to someone else should be donated to second-hand shops or otherwise found a new home.

Textiles that are worn out and damaged must be put out as bulky waste or in the bin for textile waste if your property has one or taken to the clothing bin at the recycling centre. Put them in a transparent plastic bag and tie a knot.

Yes please to:

  • Worn, holed, stained and damaged clothes and fabrics
  • Sheets and bed linen
  • Tea towels and dishcloths
  • Curtains and furnishing fabrics
  • Throws
  • Scraps of fabric
  • Leather clothing and textiles

No thanks to:

  • Reusable clothing and textiles (secondhand shops and public clothing collection stations)
  • Damp, mouldy clothes and fabrics (recycling centre – in the ‘Residual after sorting’ bin, residual waste)
  • Clothing and textiles with chemical, paint or oil residues (recycling centre – in the ‘Residual after sorting’ bin, residual waste)
  • Carpets with rubber backing (recycling centre – in the ‘Residual after sorting’ bin, bulky waste)

Hazardous waste

You can dispose of your hazardous waste in an environmental waste box or cabinet. The waste manager at your property books collection of the environmental waste box and has the key to the environmental waste cabinet, which must be kept locked for safety reasons.

Yes please to:

  • Batteries
  • Electric light bulbs and energy-saving light bulbs
  • Poison for vermin/weedkiller and fertiliser
  • Chemical and oil residues (including empty packaging)
  • Paint residues
  • Cleaning agents (also empty packaging)
  • Nail varnish and nail varnish remover
  • Cosmetics
  • Aerosol cans
  • Thermometers
  • Printer cartridges
  • Ceramics, stoneware, oven-proof dishes, porcelain
    and crystal glass
  • Shards of porcelain and ceramics (in a transparent bag)

No thanks to:

  • Medicinal residues and packaging and syringes (pharmacy, recycling centre)
  • Spontaneously combustible rags and fluids (recycling centre, soaked in water and enclosed in glass with a tightly sealed lid)
  • Gas cylinders (recycling centre)
  • Fireworks and explosives (ordinary fireworks – recycling centre; illegal fireworks – police)

Electronics

Electronics must be placed in the environmental waste box or electronics bin (smaller items), or put out with bulky waste or taken to the recycling centre (bigger items).

Yes please to:

  • Mobile phones and smartphones
  • Computers and tablets
  • DVD players and games consoles
  • Electronic kitchen equipment (e.g. coffee makers and toasters
  • Clothes irons
  • Electronic toiletries (e.g. electric toothbrushes and razors)
  • Small domestic appliances
  • Clocks, radios and cameras
  • Toys, greeting cards and shoes with
    batteries or lights
  • Chargers, trailing sockets and leads with plugs
  • Power tools
  • GPS devices
  • Remote controls
  • Bicycle lamps
  • Smoke alarms

No thanks to:

  • Batteries (environmental waste box, environmental waste cabinet, recycling centre)
  • Light bulbs (environmental waste box, environmental waste cabinet, recycling centre)
  • Fluorescent tubes (environmental waste cabinet, recycling centre)

Garden waste

Garden waste is the organic waste generated by gardening.

You can put garden waste into three types of units:

  • Wheeled bins (min. 140 litres – max. 240 litres) that can be mechanically emptied
  • Single-use paper sacks (100 litres). The sack can weigh up to 15 kg when full
  • Bundles of twigs (max. length: 1 metre, max. diameter: 35 cm). Individual branches must not be more than 15 cm thick. Tied with durable string

Yes please to:

  • Leaves
  • Flowers
  • Branches
  • Grass
  • Brushwood and twigs
  • Weeds without soil
  • Christmas trees with a wooden base (max. 3 metres)

No thanks to:

  • Soil (recycling centre)
  • Stones (recycling centre)
  • Tree trunks and roots (recycling centre)
  • Garden waste in plastic bags (not accepted)
  • Pet droppings and bedding, etc. (residual waste)
  • Fruit and vegetable food waste (residual waste/home composting)

Bulky waste

Yes please to:

  • Cardboard (folded, tied both ways
    with string)
  • Electronic waste (e.g. computers, TVs,
    cookers, fridges and freezers emptied of contents)
  • Sprung mattresses/furniture
  • Small waste suitable for incineration
    (max. 1 metre, in clear plastic bags)
  • Large waste suitable for incineration (e.g. carpets,
    max. 2 metres, and other waste 3 x 1.5 metres)
  • Large pieces of iron/metal (e.g. machines, tanks and bicycles, max. 3 metres and labelled ‘bulky waste, with name and address’. Drain fuel and oil from machines and tanks; drain fluids from radiators. For tanks, remember to include a tank certificate)

No thanks to:

  • Porcelain sanitary fittings and mirrors (recycling centre)
  • Building materials, pressure-treated wood,
    sawdust, soil and gravel (recycling centre)
  • Residual food waste and packaging (residual or recyclable waste bins)
  • Paper, glass, small plastic and metal waste (recyclable waste bins, public recycling stations, recycling centre)
  • Ceramics, porcelain, stoneware, oven-proof glass/dishes (environmental waste box, recycling centre)
  • Light bulbs, fluorescent tubes, oil and chemical waste (environmental waste box, environmental waste cabinet, recycling centre)
  • Car tyres (recycling centre)
  • Garden waste (garden waste, recycling centre)

Remember to empty fridge and freezers of contents. Bicycles and tanks must have a note attached marked ‘bulky waste’ and must include your name and address. Tanks must have a tank certificate. Machinery and tanks must be drained of fuel and oil, and radiators drained of liquid.

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