Changes to the waste collection fee 2024

Introduction to Pay as You Throw – thank you for sorting!

On January the 1st, 2023, strict rules on special household waste collection came into effect. Along with that, changes were made to law no. 55/2003 on waste management to ensure that the cost of treatment should be as close as possible to the actual cost per individual. Such measures are based on the polluter pays principle, where each person pays for what they throw away (Pay as you throw), that is according to the amount of waste containers. The changes to the law include, among other things, a return to waste sorting and waste disposal fees for the municipality of Hafnarfjörður for the year 2024. Thus, the composition of residents waste bins, directly affects the waste disposal fee, and the fee changes from being a fixed amount to being variable based on the number and size of waste containers, in addition to residents in multi-dwelling buildings sharing the total cost proportionally according to the size of their apartment.

A set fee based on four cost components

The big change in waste disposal and waste collection fees of municipalities, is that the fee changes from being a fixed fee, to being a variable fee per household, based on four cost components

• Local area operation – flat rate per household
• Food scraps/Mixed waste – fee varies depending on size and number
• Plastic packaging – fee varies depending on size and number
• Paper and carboard – fee varies depending on size and number

The composition of waste containers has a direct impact on the waste disposal fee

Housing cooperatives of multi-dwelling houses will share the total cost according to the size of the apartments, so the largest apartments will bear proportionally the highest cost, depending on the number and size of garbage cans in the building The waste disposal fee is generally expected to increase by 9,9% to meet the price and wage increases beyond the plans for this year and the expected inflation next year. Changing the composition of waste containers for residents can significantly reduce this increase and in some cases even reduce the fee. In autumn 2023, residents could purchase all types of waste containers and now residents are encouraged to reconsider the composition of their waste containers, if they have not already. In the case of multi-dwelling units (2 apartments or more), it is the chairman of the housing association who requests a change in the composition of the waste containers, after a consent from residents has been obtained and after careful consideration and analysis of the capacity requirements of waste with respect to discharge rates.

The goal is sustainable resource utilization

These changes are intended to create conditions for the formation of a circular economy to promote sustainable resource utilization and reduce waste generation. Municipalities play a significant role in this, including waste management and implementation. Hafnarfjörður has been working on reviewing policies and actions based on waste management laws in recent months and years. This change is part of that process.

Property and waste disposal fees are collected annually with property taxes. Assessment notices for property taxes for 2024 were recently published on My Pages on the municipality’s website and on Island.is.

Further information on the four categories in general

Fee table

Purchase, renewal and disposal of waste bins