Bratislava revamps waste collection approach

Through it, the city wants to become more circular and environmentally friendly

Proper waste collection and waste separation are among the most important steps towards creating a truly circular economy. By adopting improved approaches to how cities sort their waste, they can also make better use of what is thrown away, recycle it and give it a new life.

With such a goal in mind, the Slovakian capital of Bratislava has introduced a number of changes to how waste collection in the city will take place in the future. Currently, the new approach is being tested in a limited number of boroughs, including Vajnory, Vrakuňa, Podunajské Biskupice, Petržalka, Staré Mesto, Devínska Nová Ves and Devín.

In the name of sustainability and the environment

Currently on trial, the new waste sorting and collection system will allow for citizens to more conveniently dispose of their waste. Up until recently, the city’s separate waste collection efforts were pretty much limited to the colour-coded bins meant for different types of materials.

Now, local authorities will begin collecting waste directly from people’s homes. Citizens will get recyclable sacks that they can fill up with the appropriate materials which they can then put right at their doorsteps. Municipal workers will subsequently collect the bags and dispose of the waste as is required.

The municipal waste collection company OLO will collect these bags once a month and will take care of delivering the new bags to citizens. Each house will get two rolls of 25 sacks each, equating to two blue sacks for paper, two yellow ones for metal, plastics and packaging, per month. Should a household fill more sacks, OLO will collect those ones as well.

The new system is expected to be rolled out to the remainder of Bratislava over the course of 2021, should it prove a success. The old bins will remain in place for the time being in order to make the transition to the new approach easier for citizens.