Door-to-door waste collection
Door-to-door waste collection is the collection and transportation of household waste from a designated area to a designated waste disposal site or sites by a company selected through a procurement organised by a local government unit.
According to the Waste Act, the local government has an obligation to organise household waste transportation within its administrative territory. Household waste generated in homes is collected and transported by a waste transport company to which the city has awarded the exclusive right to serve the waste transport area. When granting the exclusive right, the lowest service price offered to residents by competing waste transport companies will be the decisive tender.
According to the Waste Act, the local government has an obligation to organise household waste transportation within its administrative territory. Household waste generated in homes is collected and transported by a waste transport company to which the city has awarded the exclusive right to serve the waste transport area. When granting the exclusive right, the lowest service price offered to residents by competing waste transport companies will be the decisive tender.
Organised waste transport includes:
These types of waste may only be handed over to a waste hauler serving the region under contract or, in a free market situation, to a company holding a corresponding environmental protection permit.
Packaging waste is not included in organised waste transport.
The administrative territory of the city of Tallinn is divided into 13 waste transport regions. You can see the regions by clicking on the area of the corresponding region on the map below. Additional information about waste transport prices, schedule and additional services can be obtained from the transport service provider.
| City district | Period | Contractor |
| Haabersti (area 1) |
1 October 2023 to 30 june 2028 | Estonian Environmental Services [email protected] information line: +372 6 400 830 1919 MONDAY to FRIDAY 9am to 5pm Make a contract Price list |
| Nõmme (area 2) |
1 December 2020 to 31 July 2025 | Tallinn Waste Recycling Centre [email protected] information line: +372 609 6410 +372 609 6530 MONDAY to FRIDAY 8:15am to 5pm Make a contract price list |
Mustamäe (Kadaka) (area 3) |
1 April 2023 to 31 October 2027 | Tallinn Waste Recycling Centre [email protected] information line: +372 609 6410 +372 609 6530 MONDAY to FRIDAY 8:15am to 5pm Make a contract price list |
Mustamäe (Siili-Sääse-Szolnok) (area 4) |
1 April 2023 to 31 October 2027 | Tallinn Waste Recycling Centre [email protected] information line: +372 609 6410 +372 609 6530 MONDAY to FRIDAY 8:15am to 5pm Make a contract price list |
| Kristiine (area 5) |
1 May 2023 to 31 January 2028 | Estonian Environmental Services [email protected] information line: +372 6 400 830 1919 MONDAY to FRIDAY 9am to 5pm Make a contract price list |
| Põhja-Tallinn (Merimetsa-Kelmiküla- -Pelgulinn-Pelgurand-Kopli) (area 6) |
1 November 2020 to 30 June 2025 | Estonian Environmental Services [email protected] information line: +372 6 400 830 1919 MONDAY to FRIDAY 9am to 5pm Make a contract price list |
| Põhja-Tallinn (Kalamaja-Paljassaare) (area 7) |
1 November 2020 to 30 June 2025 | Estonian Environmental Services [email protected] information line: +372 6 400 830 1919 MONDAY to FRIDAY 9am to 5pm Make a contract price list |
| Old Town (area 8) |
1 October 2020 to 31 May 2025 | Tallinn Waste Recycling Centre [email protected] information line: +372 609 6410 +372 609 6530 MONDAY to FRIDAY 8:15am to 5pm Make a contract price list |
| Kesklinn (area 9) |
1 October 2020 to 31 May 2025 | Tallinn Waste Recycling Centre [email protected] information line: +372 609 6410 +372 609 6530 MONDAY to FRIDAY 8:15am to 5pm Make a contract price list |
| Lasnamäe (Pae-Ülemiste) (area 10) |
1 November 2020 to 30 June 2025 | Estonian Environmental Services [email protected] information line: +372 6 400 830 1919 MONDAY to FRIDAY 9am to 5pm Make a contract price list |
| Lasnamäe (Laagna-Tondiraba) (area 11) |
1 November 2020 to 30 June 2025 | Estonian Environmental Services [email protected] information line: +372 6 400 830 1919 MONDAY to FRIDAY 9am to 5pm Make a contract price list |
| Lasnamäe (Priisle-Mustakivi) (area 12) |
1 November 2020 to 30 June 2025 | Estonian Environmental Services [email protected] information line: +372 6 400 830 1919 MONDAY to FRIDAY 9am to 5pm Make a contract price list |
| Pirita (area 13) |
1 January 2019 to 31 December 2023 | Estonian Environmental Services [email protected] information line: +372 6 400 830 1919 MONDAY to FRIDAY 9am to 5pm Make a contract price list |
During the period shown in the table, one hauler will provide the waste transport services and the old contracts will be declared invalid.
Tallinn's waste transport areas on the map
Select an area on the map for more information.
The descriptions of the boundaries of the waste transport areas are given in Appendix 2 of the Tallinn Waste Management Regulations
Goals of door-to-door waste collection
In Tallinn, an average of 500 kg of household waste is generated per person per year. When organised waste transportation is implemented, joining the waste transportation system is unavoidable by law and all waste generators must start paying for waste transportation. As a result, these waste generators lose their economic motive to get rid of their waste illegally and the littering of the environment ends.- The goal of organised waste transport is primarily to supply the entire population with waste transport and thereby prevent littering of the environment. The problem of ownerless waste will disappear, because residents have to pay for their waste management anyway and the hauler must also take away what is placed next to the waste container. Containers that are filled to the brim will disappear from the cityscape. The motive to take your waste to other people's containers or to the forest disappears.
- An important aspect is improving the quality of the waste transport service and controlling the price of the service. The price of garbage collection can become more affordable through waste sorting. Through separate collection, the recycling of waste paper and cardboard and biodegradable waste is simplified and people's environmental awareness is raised with the help of economic levers.
- Higher quality waste hauling service. The hauler is disciplined by city-hauler and hauler-manager contracts. By violating the terms, the hauler risks losing exclusive rights.
- Cleaner city air, less noise and less traffic. Thanks to better waste transport logistics, the traffic load and noise and air pollution caused by bin lorries will be reduced. While before, several bin lorries used to travel more or less the same route, emptying the waste containers of neighbouring houses, now only one company's truck delivers in one waste transport area. The road surface is less burdened by heavy bin lorries and lasts longer.
- Garden cities will have less smoke and toxic gases. Uncontrolled burning of waste is prevented, because residents have joined the waste transport system and must pay for waste transport no matter what.