How to Sort Waste? Lets take a look!

Belgians are pioneers when it comes to sorting waste. Yet we still commit occasional blunders. A pity, because sorting correctly is not only priceless for the environment, you also feel it in your wallet. These are the most typical mistakes.

1) PMD

PMD stands for plastic bottles and flasks, metal packaging and beverage cartons. A handy abbreviation, but it is still being sinned against.

This is not part of PMD:

Do throw food and cosmetics spray cans (e.g. whipped cream and deodorant), aluminium trays, empty frying oil bottles and crown caps in a PMD bag.

Want to prevent your PMD bag from not being taken away?

• No containers over 8 litres
• Never tie plastic bottles to the bag

2) Organic Waste

21% of Flemish people compost at home, and that number continues to grow. However, composting is not yet flawless everywhere. These typical mistakes prove it:

This does not belong with organic waste:

• Mussel shells: belong to residual waste
• Bones or offal: belong to residual waste
• Soil, sand and pebbles: to the container park
• Cat litter: belong with residual waste
• Dog and cat faeces: go to residual waste

Grass and leaves, fruit and vegetable leftovers, nut shells, kitchen roll, tea bags, coffee filters, plant waste and manure from small herbivores (e.g. rabbits) do belong to organic waste.

3) Paper and cardboard

Sorting paper and cardboard seems obvious, but it is not. In fact, there are some snags:

This does not belong to paper and cardboard:

• Wallpaper: belongs to residual waste, complete rolls can go to the recycling shop
• Kitchen rolls: should go to organic waste, provided there is no inorganic waste (paint, frying oil, etc.)
• Bread bags: belong with residual waste
• Soiled paper, e.g. containing deep-frying fat: belongs to residual waste

Phone books, magazines and leaflets, cardboard packaging, draft paper and envelopes belong to paper and cardboard.

Door-to-door collection is free of charge. Everything is in a cardboard box or tied together with natural twine. The paper should be free of other waste, so remove plastic films.

4) Glass

Glass is the perfect raw material for new glass because you can use it over and over again; on condition that it is sorted correctly.

This does not belong to glass:

• Lids of jars: belong to PMD;
• Flat glass, such as mirrors: to the container park;
• Porcelain (plates) and pottery: to the container park;
• Lamps: to the container park;
• Optical glass (magnifying glass, spectacle glass, watch glass …): to the container park;

Rinse out the empty bottles and jars and remove the lid, screw cap or cork. You put the glass in a sturdy plastic box. Cardboard boxes and plastic bags will not be included. The maximum weight is 15 kilograms per bin.

5) Residual waste

Only what does not belong to the categories above is thrown in the residual waste. That waste is not recycled, but incinerated. So the less residual waste you have, the better. And that goes for your wallet too, because residual waste bags are not cheap. And neither are DIFTAR containers! Proper sorting is therefore also financially interesting.

This does not belong in residual waste:

• Batteries: take to a collection point or the container park;
• Hazardous substances: to the container park.