Why is waste sorting important?
Reduced environmental and climate impact
By sorting your plastic packaging, you help reduce the amount of waste that ends up being incinerated and releasing emissions.
Instead, what you sort can be recycled into new products — reducing the need for virgin raw materials and cutting emissions from new production.
Conserving natural resources
When we recycle plastic packaging, we reduce the need for natural resources such as oil — a key ingredient in the production of new plastic.
By sorting at the source, we help preserve the planet’s resources for future generations.
What is plastic packaging?
Plastic packaging protects and preserves products. Examples include shampoo bottles, plastic bags, tubes, jars, meat trays, and vegetable packaging. It can be made from both soft and hard plastics.
If you’re unsure how to sort a package, check the label. Otherwise, contact your local council’s environmental department or waste management company for guidance.
Please note: If the packaging contains residues of glue, paint, or solvents, it must be disposed of as hazardous waste at your local recycling centre.
What is not plastic packaging?
Plastic items such as sledges, toys, toothbrushes, toilet brushes, and plastic furniture are not considered plastic packaging. These should be taken to your local recycling centre.
We often receive batteries that have been incorrectly sorted inside plastic products, such as plastic toys. Every year, this amounts to around two million batteries. These should be taken to a designated battery collection point or battery recycling facility — never placed in plastic packaging recycling.
Batteries can cause fires at our sorting facility and pose a serious safety risk to our employees.
All plastic packaging must be collected
You don’t need to worry about which plastic packaging can be recycled.
Sort everything at the source — regardless of colour or shape.
Even black plastic packaging can be recycled.
Where do you drop off the packaging?
From 2024, local authorities in Sweden are responsible for collecting plastic packaging.
Collection takes place at recycling stations, near detached houses, or in designated recycling rooms in apartment buildings.
Good to know about waste sorting
Empty the package
All packaging sorted at the source must be emptied of its contents.
This is important to ensure that collection and recycling are as resource-efficient as possible.
It also makes good sense for your household economy to use the entire product.
A quick rinse is enough
You can rinse the packaging with cold water to remove any odours, but you don’t need to wash it before sorting it for recycling.
Empty the bag
If you’ve placed your packaging in a plastic bag, you can empty it at the recycling station.
This makes the next step in the recycling process easier.
Sort mixed materials separately
If the packaging consists of several materials, such as plastic and paper, they should be separated where possible and placed in the correct recycling container.
Recycle PET bottle
All PET bottles with the deposit symbol can be returned to your nearest deposit machine.
Remove batteries
Plastic products, such as toys, do not belong in the packaging recycling. They should be taken to your local recycling centre.
Remember to always remove any batteries — they must be handed in to a battery collection point.
