How have you organized waste management at home?

I separate household waste, biodegradable waste, paper, and of course, deposit packaging. It's a very natural division, and the appropriate containers are available near our building, so I’m happy to use them. I also collect egg cartons and uncooked eggshells separately—they go to the countryside, back to the chickens.

Unfortunately, we don’t (yet) have a packaging container, and my knowledge in that area is still relatively new, so there’s room to improve. We also have a glass container, but in general, we find new uses for glass packaging ourselves. We try to repurpose packaging and reduce waste—for example, we choose Ringo reusable packaging when ordering food, use silicone resealable bags in the freezer, and cook double portions at dinner so part of it can be taken to work for lunch.

I’m very proud that I’ve managed to avoid buying “real” trash bags. It seems pointless to buy a new, clean, single-use package just to throw away old packaging. I reuse bread bags (for biodegradable waste), used plastic bags, and other small bags. Even a hole in a plastic bag isn't an obstacle—I can quickly patch it with tape.

What motivates you to deal with waste so thoroughly?

It’s the pain of the world—I don’t want to waste good stuff, especially when it can be turned into something new. A lot of effort and resources have gone into getting that food, product, and packaging to me. The least I can do is use it completely and then send it to the right place. I always think, “Look, this paper can become new paper, and this package can become a new package.”

Many people say they don’t sort because it’s complicated, there’s no space for bins, and everything gets mixed in the garbage truck anyway. How do you deal with that?

I’ve also discovered that waste management isn’t always black and white, and I’ve made mistakes too. Then I grumble a bit and do better next time. Most of it is actually simple and logical. If you sort most of it based on basic logic, you’re already doing pretty well. The smaller exceptions can be refined later.

I haven’t experienced a lack of space. I’ve gradually added bins or rearranged kitchen cabinets to fit around waste bins. Also, not every bin has to be big or even in the kitchen. For example, deposit bottles are in the hallway cabinet, eggshells are on top of a tall cupboard, and a small compost cup hangs on the waste drawer door.

Give one good tip for those who currently throw everything into one bin.

Start small—you don’t have to know everything right away, and sometimes it’s even better not to start by googling everything in-depth. Do what suits your situation and improve gradually. For example, I only recently started replacing “real” trash bags: I began using bread bags for biowaste because biodegradable bags were already falling apart indoors. A practical and simple first step. Of course, outside the compost and the bag go into separate containers. Later, I couldn’t bring myself to waste a slightly dirty plastic bag, so I used it. Solutions are all around us!