Paper bags for food scraps at Sorpa, Service Centre, Good will

As of 10 January, Sorpa will stop distributing paper bags to stores

Special collection of food scraps began last year in the southwest corner of Iceland as a part of the new household waste sorting system. Paper bags for food scraps were distributed to all residents and supermarkets last year, and SORPA is very grateful to the stores that participated in the project. It is clear that the distribution has been successful and residents of the capital area have received over 24 million bags since the project began. That amount of paper bags should be enough to last households for a year and a half. As of the 10th of January, SORPA will stop distributing paper bags to supermarkets, but residents will still be able to pick up paper bags free of charge at SORPA’s recycling centres and at the Good will store (Góði hirðirinn). Paper bags will also be available at the Hafnarfjarðarbær Service Centre at Norðurhella 2. That means that free distribution of paper bags in stores will cease.

Sorpa recycling facility at Breiðhella in Hafnarfjörður

Hafnarfjarðarbær Service Centre at Norðurhella 2

The effectiveness of sorting is high

The effectiveness of sorting for recycling is high, and the purity of the food scraps returned by the population is about 98%. However, there is still a considerable amount of food scraps left in the bin for mixed trash, so there is much to gain from getting as much food scraps from the mixed bin, into the food scrap bin as possible.

Announcement on Sorpa’s website

Keep up the good work!