Tallinn City Government sent a request to the City Council to change the draft amendment of the public events procedure and the waste management regulation.  The aim of the new amendment is to ban the use of disposable cutlery during public events held in Tallinn. 

According to Deputy Mayor Joosep Vimm, this is an important step. “If the new regulations are put into force by the City Council, from 1 June Tallinn will be the first city in Europe where only reusable cutlery can be used during public events. This is a big step towards eliminating the use of dishes and cutlery that will become waste after a single use,” said Vimm.

The Waste Management Code will extend to the obligation to separate bio-waste to all properties from 1 April. “This will reduce the generation of mixed municipal waste and increase the amount of recyclable waste. With the new regulations, smaller households will have the opportunity to compost bio-waste properly instead of collecting it in separate containers. When collected separately, bio-waste is a resource which can be used as compost. In addition bio-waste can be used to produce biogas. For example, a plant has recently started producing biogas on the outskirts of Tallinn”, added Vimm.

The aim of the new Waste Management Code is to update the requirements of the city’s waste management and to implement the objectives set out in the Tallinn Waste Plan 2022-2026 to reduce waste generation, promote reuse and separate collection.  

Until now, properties with ten or more apartments were obliged to collect bio-waste in a container, from 1 April 2023 all properties in Tallinn will have to collect bio-waste in a container and hand it over to their waste collector. However single houses, semi-detached houses and houses with up to two apartments can apply for exemptions from the obligation to have a container if they decide to compost their waste on site in accordance with the requirements of the rules and obtain the consent for composting from their City district government. 

Collecting bio-waste separately will significantly reduce the volume of mixed municipal waste and as a result, new emptying frequencies for waste containers will be introduced. 

As an European Green Capital, Tallinn recommends that all event coordinators to think about finding sustainable and environmentally friendly options when planning the events. From 1 June 2023, all public events in Tallinn will be allowed to serve food and drinks only in reusable containers and to use only reusable cutlery. Disposable straws and cocktail garnishes that are not made of plastic (including bio-based plastic), oxidatively degradable plastic or biodegradable plastic will be allowed. 

In addition the hours of waste collection in the Tallinn Old Town will be extended. Previously, waste could be collected in the Old Town between 7am and 12pm, but the draft will allow waste to be collected in the Old Town between 6am and 1pm and between 7pm and 10 pm on weekdays and between 7am and 12pm on weekends.

From 1 January 2024, large metal containers of 2,500 liters and 4,500 liters will no longer be allowed for the collection of municipal waste, as they do not meet any standards, create a lot of noise when emptied and are not practical in the separate  waste collection. From now on, metal containers can only be used for the collection of non-municipal waste (e.g. construction and demolition waste).

The Tallinn Waste Management Code is an important implementing act, which implements the objectives of the Tallinn Waste Management Plan 2022-2026 adopted in spring 2022.