Photo: Palpa
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Finns returned a record 2.3 billion deposit beverage containers in 2024, continuing to make Finland’s bottle return system one of the most effective in the world. The total was 130 million higher than the previous year.
Aluminium cans made up the majority of returns, with over 1.5 billion collected. Around 700 million plastic bottles and 130 million glass bottles were also returned.
On average, each Finn recycled about 420 containers, receiving approximately €64 in deposit refunds.
Tommi Vihavainen, CEO of Palpa, which oversees the system, said its success relies on public participation. “The key factor is the commitment of people to returning their bottles and cans. Without this, valuable materials wouldn’t be recycled into new containers,” he said.
Finland operates a closed-loop recycling system, meaning materials from returned bottles and cans are used to produce new ones, keeping them in circulation for longer.
Lapland leads, holiday regions catch up
Lapland once again led in returns per capita, with 527 containers returned per resident. However, South Savo narrowed the gap, reaching 521 per person. Kainuu and Kymenlaakso also increased their return rates, surpassing South Karelia. Åland had the lowest per capita return rate, with 305 containers per resident.
Vihavainen noted that while regional differences remain, they are levelling out. “Traditional holiday areas and northern tourism hubs still stand out in the statistics, but the total number of returned containers is what matters most,” he said.
The municipalities returning the most containers per capita were dominated by northern Finland, with Utsjoki, Kittilä, and Inari leading the list. Pertunmaa, which merged with Mäntyharju at the start of the year, was the only southern municipality in the top five, with 840 containers returned per resident.
Smaller towns outperform big cities
In many regions, the most active recyclers were found in smaller municipalities rather than major cities. Hanko topped the list in Uusimaa, while Pirkkala led in Pirkanmaa, Kustavi in Southwest Finland, and Joutsa in Central Finland.
Among Finland’s 20 largest cities, Pori had the highest return rate, with 544 containers per resident. Espoo and Helsinki had the lowest figures, with 292 and 332 containers returned per capita, respectively.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
