Biowaste
Sorting biowaste enables a smart circulation of energy and nutrients.
What is biowaste?
Biowaste is organic decomposing waste:
- leftovers
- spoiled food
- fruit and vegetable peelings
- animal innards and other waste
- solid fats
- liquid fats and cooking oil (absorbed in paper or in a sealed milk carton)
- coffee grounds and tea leaves
- filter paper
- kitchen towels, napkins, paper tissues
- bones
- plant parts, withered flowers, cut flowers etc.
Distribution locations for biowaste bags
Stormossen recommend using paper bags for biowaste because they decompose better than so-called bioplastic bags in the biowaste treatment process. Do not use regular plastic bags.
Stormossen’s paper bags can be obtained free of charge from following places:
- all our waste reception stations (including self-service stations)
- Minimossen
- Vaasa Citizen Services (Teräksenkuja 1)
- Vähäkyrö Citizen Services
- Ekosoppi (Hovioikeudenpuistikko 20)
- the Red Cross flea market in Vaasa
- Korsholm head library
- Sale Korsnäs
- Sale Tervajoki
- S-market Isokyrö
GW Gallery
One bundle contains 80 bags, which is enough for approximately half a year when the bag is replaced every 2–3 days. Please take only one sheaf to ensure that there will be enough left for others. If you are using a compost, you will not need any bags.
You can also find paper biowaste bags in the fruit and vegetable sections of some grocery stores. You can first use the paper bag for packing and transporting fruits or vegetables and later reuse it at home as a biowaste bag. Paper biowaste bags are also available for purchase in most grocery stores.
Other bag options:
- paper bag of folded newspapers
- empty flour bag, potato bag or other paper bag found at home
- envelopes without windows
When biowaste is sorted separately, it can be reused as raw material for compost soil and eco-friendly vehicle fuel in Stormossen’s biowaste plant. In this way valuable energy and nutrients in the biowaste can be smartly recycled. Biowaste does more harm than good amongst mixed waste (combustible waste) because wet waste reduces the energy value at Westenergy’s incineration plant.
Most households in Stormossen’s operating area in Vaasa, Korsholm, Vörå, Isokyrö, Malax, and Korsnäs sort biowaste at their own property. Biowaste is not received at Stormossen’s waste reception stations anymore.
- Small amounts of oil and juices can be absorbed in a paper towel. Larger amounts of oil can be placed in a sealed carton and put in the biowaste bin.
- If possible, allow wet waste to dry for a while before putting it in the biowaste bag.
- Use an airy container for your biowaste bag. You can place egg carton, kitchen towels, or newspapers at the bottom of the biowaste bag to soak up excess moisture. Also try to place egg carton in the bottom of the container under the bag for better ventilation.
- Change the bag after 2–3 days.
- The bag is marked with a maximum limit. Fill the bag only enough so that you can still close it.
- Prevent bags from freezing to the container by putting the filled biowaste bag outside in a covered bucket to freeze separately. After that, put the frozen bag in the biowaste container.
Biowaste is processed at Stormossen’s biogas plant to produce biogas for vehicle use and compost soil. Biogas is sold at our refuelling stations next to the waste management centre, Stormossenintie 3, and at the ABC Service Station in Runsor.
Compost soil is sold at the Soraterminaali, close to Stormossen’s waste centre in Kvevlax. Watch this video on how biowaste is made into vehicle gas at Stormossen.
If you live in Area A and sort your biowaste separately:
Emptying intervals for biowaste containers in detached houses and small apartment blocks is every other week in the summer (1 April – 30 October) and can be every fourth week in the winter (1 November – 31 March), or more frequently if needed. If you want to lengthen the emptying interval please contact logistiikka@stormossen.fi or call 010 3207676.
After 1 October 2023, property owners can agree directly with waste transporters on extended emptying intervals for mixed waste. In the future, emptying intervals for mixed waste can be as long as 12 weeks.
If you live in Area B and sort your biowaste voluntarily:
The emptying interval for mixed waste can be extended if biowaste is collected separately or composted. Biowaste container emptyings are ordered from Stormossen. A composting notification must be made to the Waste Committee. An extended emptying interval for mixed waste can be applied from Vaasa Region’s Waste Committee.
If you have a closed and insulated compost that is used year-round, you can sort your biowaste into it. You can also share the compost with a neighbour. Bokashi is also allowed. In that case, post-composting in a closed compost is compulsory. Please fill out a composting notification form at Vaasa Region’s Waste Committee’s (Vaasan seudun jätelautakunta) website (in Finnish).
You can read more about composting in Vaasa Region’s Waste Committee’s composting guide, in Marttojen kompostointiopas (in Finnish) and on KiVos website about biowaste sorting (in Finnish and Swedish).
When sorting your biowaste in a compostor, you don’t need paper bags for the waste since biowaste degrades better without a bag.
Another option is to compost the biowaste in the summer and collect it in a biowaste bin in the winter. If you choose this option, please fill in this form stating that you will compost part of the year (in Finnish) This information will be sent to Stormossen by the Waste Committee and we will supply you with a biowaste bin for the winter season.