Survey on sources and waste streams of single-use plastics in the City of Helsinki

Motiva Services Oy carried out a survey on the sources and waste streams of single-use plastics in the City of Helsinki. The study is part of the Baltiplast project funded by the Interreg programme. The aim of the BaltiPlast project is to reduce the use of single-use plastics, including packaging, in city operations.

The report supports the City of Helsinki’s work to promote the material efficiency of plastics and the circular economy. The study assessed the situation of 11 City of Helsinki divisions with regard to single-use plastics and packaging waste.

The sectors are: early childhood education and care, primary education, upper secondary education and vocational training, family and social services, health and substance abuse services, hospital, rehabilitation and care services, rescue services, library services, sports services, cultural services and youth services.

Our role in the project:

Using interviews and waste data (2019-2023), we produced an overview of the City of Helsinki’s plastic waste volumes by sector.
We carried out a targeted survey of industries to assess the current situation and identify areas for improvement to reduce plastic waste.
Together with representatives of the most influential sector, education and training (KASKO), we put together more detailed proposals for development to address the challenge.
One aspect of the study was to assess the impact and means of plastic-aware procurement.
We developed a replicable research methodology that will allow us to monitor and compare the effectiveness of the measures in the future.
We developed a future path for plastics in early childhood education that can be applied to other sectors.
We proposed indicators to monitor progress in reducing plastic waste and recycling.

“In cooperation with Motiva Service, we investigated the flows of single-use plastics in the City of Helsinki’s own operations. Based on the results, we are able to prioritise plastic reduction measures, promote plastic recycling and further develop our operations in a more sustainable direction. The work also resulted in a list of indicators that can be used to monitor change and assess the effectiveness of different measures.” ─ Project Manager Rasmus Boman, BaltiPlast project