The basic fee (eco-charge) is used to maintain e.g. waste reception stations, ecopoints, campaign collections, customer service, and waste advisory services. All the aforementioned services can be utilized without restrictions by private customers within Stormossen’s operating area. Nearly half of the waste reception stations now offer self-service and extended opening hours, including Saturday openings year-round. The number of self-service stations will increase in 2025.

All basic fees were increased on January 1, 2025, due to the aforementioned investments and the general rise in costs.

According to Section 78 Paragraph 2 of the Waste Act, the waste fee must correspond to the service level provided by the municipality and encourage a reduction in the quantity and harmfulness of waste, as well as waste management that follows the waste hierarchy. Waste management must be entirely funded through service fees and cannot be financed with tax revenues.

From spring 2025, Stormossen will improve the availability of collection points for waste management at holiday homes. A network of approximately 100 area collection points for mixed waste (combustible waste) and biowaste from holiday homes will be established. The holiday home basic fee (eco-charge) will fund the construction and maintenance of these collection points as well as waste reception stations, ecopoints, campaign collections, customer service, and waste advisory services. All the aforementioned services can be utilized without restrictions by private customers within Stormossen’s operating area.

According to Vaasa Region Waste Board’s regulations, Stormossen must maintain area collection points for holiday homes from May 1 to September 30, starting on May 1, 2025.

The treatment fee for mixed waste (combustible waste) is designed to encourage residents to improve their waste sorting practices. By sorting waste by material, it can be recycled as raw material for new products. The goal is to increase the proportion of household waste that is recycled.

If households sort biowaste and packaging waste, they can reduce the amount of mixed waste, which in turn can lower waste management costs as mixed waste bins won’t need to be emptied as frequently.

According to Section 78 Paragraph 2 of the Waste Act, the waste fee should encourage the reduction of waste quantity and harmfulness and promote waste management that follows the waste hierarchy.

The basic fee (former eco-charge) is a fee for all households and holiday homes in the Stormossen area. The basic fee is used to maintain eco-points, waste reception stations, campaign collections and waste advice, among other things.

Since 1.1.2023, the basic fee for properties with 1 to 4 apartments is calculated per apartment and not on the basis of the number of residents, as was previously the case. The same applies to properties with five or more residential units.

The basic fee is based on the waste legislation, under which both permanent and holiday residents are obliged to contribute to the investment and maintenance costs of the service facilities set up by the municipality for the management of waste from their property.

The Vaasa Region Waste Committee (Vaasan seudun jätelautakunta) has established a fee, which is a so-called public charge. Therefore, no contract between the municipality and the property owner is required. According to the Waste Tariff, Stormossen will take care of the invoicing. The Waste charge is available on the Waste Committee’s website (in Finnish).

• ecopoints and waste reception stations are available to households. Hazardous and non-hazardous waste generated in the apartment/vacation home will be taken free of charge to one of these collection points. A customer card entitles the holder to unlimited access to the recycling station. You can bring one trailer (2m3) of waste at a time.
• the cost of collection, transport and treatment of hazardous and non-hazardous waste; collection paper, cardboard, metal, glass, cardboard and plastic packaging, wood waste, gypsum, concrete, bricks, styrofoam, twigs and branches, waste electrical and electronic equipment and end-of-life textiles for which no treatment fee is charged. Hazardous waste includes environmentally hazardous substances such as batteries and accumulators, fluorescent lights and energy-saving light bulbs, waste oils and other oily wastes, paints, glues and varnishes, impregnating agents, solvents, pesticides and pressure treated wood.
• collection campaigns (Ecobil, Pidä Saaristo Siistinä)
• Information and advice services

By law, tax money cannot be used to cover the costs of waste management.

Stormossen is responsible for the reception and treatment of municipal waste. The costs for property-specific waste management for households consist of a transportation fee and a treatment fee. The treatment fee consists of direct and indirect costs incurred when the waste is handled and further processed. Stormossen processes the waste either independently or through purchased services.

The treatment fee is determined based on Stormossen’s costs for waste management or for procured treatment and recycling services. The treatment fee also includes costs for any interim storage, transshipment, and further transportation of the waste, as well as costs related to invoicing and customer register management, such as costs for office space and IT systems, handling and generation of billing information, collection actions, and general operating expenses.

The basic fee does not apply to the collection, transport or treatment of biowaste and mixed waste. The basic fee covers the costs of free and underpriced services provided by Stormossen. E.g. maintaining eco-points, waste reception stations, campaign collections and waste advice.

The treatment fee is determined based on the volume and specific weight (average volume weight) of the waste container. The price list is published in the waste tariff, which is approved by the Waste Committee (in Finnish).

Stormossen will invoice the treatment fee quarterly in arrears based on the number of emptyings for single-family homes, semi-detached houses, and smaller row houses (properties with 1–4 residences). Larger row houses and apartment buildings are invoiced monthly.

From 1 January 2023, Stormossen invoices the basic fee for detached and small houses (1-4 apartments) four times a year; in April, July, October and January. The basic fee is invoiced in advance.

In addition to the basic fee, the invoice include a fee for the treatment of mixed waste (combustible waste), biowaste and packages disposal fees for the properties concerned.

In 2023, Stormossen’s billing practice changed. The invoice contains the basic fee for upcoming three months, the processing fee for mixed waste as well as the biowaste and packages emptying fees for the previous three months.  These are invoiced quarterly and applies to properties with 1-4 apartments.

Unfortunately, it is not technically possible to make an exception to the billing or payment schedule for the basic fee.

According to the waste tariff set by Vaasa Region’s Waste Committee, Stormossen will invoice the treatment fee directly from households starting from January 1, 2023. Previously, the treatment fee was charged to the waste transporters, who then invoiced the customers.

The deficiencies previously found in our eco-charge customer register can be addressed by transferring the invoicing to us. By invoicing households directly, the customer register can be easily updated and kept continuously up-to-date. This saves both time and money in terms of fewer complaints, corrections, credits, and the sending of new invoices.

It is also important to remember that the costs of waste treatment, which is the basis for invoicing, arise at Stormossen and not with the waste transporters.

From January 1, 2023, the treatment fee is the same for all households in the Stormossen area, whereas it previously could vary between different transport companies.

The procedure is mentioned in the bill:

“The person liable to pay has the right to lodge a reminder within 14 days of receipt of the payment slip with the authority responsible for determining and collecting the waste fee, i.e. the Vaasa Regional Waste Management Commitee.

Vaasan seudun jätelautakunta
PL 2 (Kirkkopuistikko 26 A)
65101 Vaasa

jatelautakunta(a)vaasa.fi

The basic fee must be paid within the period indicated on the fee slip or on the new fee slip sent in response to the reminder, regardless of any appeal.”

Yes, at most 14 days after the due date. The customer number, the billing number and the name of the customer needs to be delivered to laskutus@stormossen.fi.

The reminder procedure is mentioned in the bill:

“Overdue payment

If the payment is not made on time, the amount due will be subject to annual interest on arrears of 11,5 % (1 July – 31 December 2024) from the due date. The payment due may be seized from the debtor without a judgment or decision in accordance with the procedure for the recovery of taxes and duties by enforcement.”

The person liable to pay the quarterly share of the eco-charge is the person who is registered in the property at the beginning of the month. If you have received an invoice for months when you haven´t been registered in the property, please contact customer service.

According to the Waste Fee, each residential property used for permanent housing in the Stormossen area, as well as holiday homes used all year round, is liable to pay a household basic fee. The basic fee for residential properties is determined on a apartment basis. The basic fee is applied for each month and is collected four times per year. Therefore, the temporary vacancy of a apartment does not exempt it from the obligation to pay the basic fee.

The basic fee does not apply to waste generated on a daily basis, for which a waste collection service must be provided, but is a basic charge within the meaning of the Waste Act, which finances, among other things, the costs of recycling stations, the network of ecopoints and information and advice. The basic fee entitles you to unlimited access to Stormossen’s waste reception stations, where you can deliver, for example, household waste (e.g. from renovation work) and hazardous waste free of charge.

The amount of the charge takes into account the fact that the holiday home is only used for part of the year. The holiday home’s basic fee is applied in almost every municipality in Finland, where the basic fee is in place.

Unnecessary emptying means that an attempt was made to empty the waste container, but it failed for one of the following reasons:

• The waste container was filled in violation of the waste management regulations, for example, it is too heavy or filled with waste that does not belong in the container.
• The waste container is damaged.
• The waste container could not be found at the property, or the property or waste point could not be found with the given driving instructions.
• The waste container is locked or in a locked space, and the lock is not compatible with Stormossen’s key set or a key has not been provided to the transporter.
• The waste container cannot be emptied despite normal efforts due to icing.
• The road to the waste container, which the property is responsible for maintaining, is not in a passable condition or is in such poor condition that the vehicle could be damaged or the driver’s safety compromised.
• There is a locked gate on the road to the property, preventing access to the property.
• There are traffic obstacles or stray animals on the road to the property that prevent the emptying of the waste container.
• The container, the operating environment, or another circumstance is in violation of waste management regulations.

For unnecessary collection in the above-mentioned situations, no treatment fee is charged, only the transport fee.

Stormossen will add a fee on paper invoices starting 1.7.2023. The fee is 2,38€/invoice (incl. VAT 25,5 %). This will cover the cost of paper invoices.

You can choose to be invoiced by e-invoice via your own online bank or by e-mail invoice by informing us at asiakaspalvelu@stormossen.fi. Direct payment can be used if online banking is not an option. In this case, please contact your bank.

Stormossen has renewed its invoicing. These things have changed:

• The invoice has a new look.
• Value-added tax (VAT) is now already included in the total amount.

The general increase in VAT in Finland, from 1.9.2024, has also affected Stormossen’s products and services by 1.5 percentage points, from 24% to 25.5%. In practice, prices have changed by 1.21%.

• The invoice of October includes not only the waste disposal charges for July-September, but also the eco-charges for September-December 2024. Due to the VAT change, the previous invoice only included eco-charges for July and August 2024.
• Please note that two different bank account numbers are available in the payment details. Please check the account number if you have saved your Stormossen account number in your online bank.
• The sender of Stormossen e-mail invoices will be noreply@ropo.fi. Please check that your invoice does not go to your e-mail spam.

Our new billing provider has sent out payment reminders to customers for the first time in November 2024. Please note that:

• The invoice will have a new look and will be sent by Ropo Suomi Oy
• The new payment notification applies to invoices sent in October 2024 and onwards
• The bank account number on the invoice is not the same as on the original Stormossen invoice

For more information on the payment reminder, please visit the Ropo website via this link.