One of the things I like very much here is the fact that they make composting and recycling very easy. Garbage is easy too, but that is of less value to me. Tonight I learned from my guests that the garbage is sorted, my husband heard the opposite.
At our apt. there is a pail for compost, we found an abandoned bucket that we use to collect the bio-waste on the counter before we take it downstairs. If it gets too smelly we set it out on the enclosed porch. Apparently people sleep out there in the summer, there is no air conditioning in the apt.
We are diligent about sorting and recycling whatever we use. One thing that has a been bothering us is all the plastic refuse we have and we couldn't find a place to recycle it so we threw it in the garbage. When we were in Tampere we spoke with a very knowledgeable man Touku, who sent us information on a pilot program that is happening here. We can now take plastics 1, 2, 4, 5 to be recycled. The bins are in parking lots around the city. We will take ours to the one by the bus station, about a 25-30 minute walk from our house. Makes me glad. All the soda and beer cans are already taken in at the grocery store.
In order to keep the city clean and encourage recycling they have a bottle deposit law. We jumped right on that and started taking any can or bottle we found to the store across the street. They have a machine in the back of the store where we put the bottles/cans in and then get a ticket to be redeemed at the counter.
We were thrilled to be "making money." Glass is 10 cents, aluminum 15 cents and plastic 20 cents (times these times 1.4 to get dollars/cents) so it is a substantial amount. Some of the cans/bottles do not pay out and I finally found out why. Those not purchased in Finland do not pay, some are from the ships others I don't know. We find more of those than any others, but we still pick them up and recycle them. The machine still accepts them.
We quickly found out that some items are not accepted by the machine, and the nice clerk told us that items purchased at the state run liquor store, Alko, had to be recycled there. Alko is the only place to get wine or hard liquor. Had to run up there yesterday before they closed to get wine for Purim. Beer is available at the grocery stores.
They just passed a law that cigarettes have to be covered up. Every store now has them in a fortress looking machine, you have to know what you want before they will open it.
The city is quite clean, there are garbage receptacles on almost every block. The downtown square has about 30 all around it, and people use them.
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