Recycling pilot and campaign boosts waste sorting in barracks
Working with the Finnish Defence Forces, Defence Properties Finland launched a material recycling pilot in the Vekaranjärvi and Upinniemi garrisons. The pilot project saw new sorting containers brought to the barracks to make sorting of conscript waste more efficient and easier. In February, Defence Properties Finland also had a campaign in all garrisons to promote sorting.
The recycling pilot aims to reduce the amount of mixed waste generated in the barracks and in turn to achieve cost savings. The pilot involves conscripts sorting seven different types of waste: mixed waste, biowaste, plastic and glass packaging, metal, and recycled cardboard and paper. In addition, hazardous waste, such as batteries, is sorted separately.
Pilot involves regular monitoring
During the recycling pilot, Defence Properties Finland’s cleaning service providers in Upinniemi and Vekaranjärvi will monitor the situation of indoor recycling containers on a weekly basis. The collection containers in outdoor areas will also be weighed regularly. At the beginning of April and in June, after the end of the pilot, a composition study of mixed waste will also be carried out, the results of which will be compared with previous data.
The Finnish Defence Forces are usually responsible for the recycling containers inside garrison premises, and Defence Properties Finland is responsible for the waste containers in outdoor areas, but during the recycling pilot, Defence Properties Finland is also responsible for the recycling points inside the barracks. Although purchasing sorting containers involves costs, significant savings can be achieved through more efficient recycling, as mixed waste is expensive.
Conscripts are also encouraged to defend nature
Besides the pilot, Defence Properties Finland is carrying out a “Defend nature, too” campaign in garrisons around Finland, to remind conscripts of the importance of waste sorting.
In 2024, the Finnish Defence Forces generated nearly 3,700 tonnes of mixed waste, which corresponds to approximately 300–400 waste collection truckloads. At the moment, around 30% of the entire municipal waste of the Finnish Defence Forces currently ends up in recycling. This figure excludes metals and waste electrical and electronic equipment collected under the Defence Forces’ own contracts.
