Waste collection FAQ

Here you can see the waste collection calendar showing the estimated emptying dates.

Reykjavík City is legally required to collect waste collection fees as close to the actual cost as possible for the collection of household waste and the operation of drop-off and recycling centers.

Waste collection fees are collected with property taxes. They are based on the number of bins, container size, the distance needed to empty the container, and the type of waste. The fees change from the week that changes to the bins are requested. Bins for paper, plastic, and food waste are cheaper than bins for mixed household waste. Therefore, it pays to sort.

Yes, you can.

In single-family housing, it is most effective to sort more and dispose of less. If little mixed household waste is produced, a split bin or thrifty bin can be requested instead of the gray bin. Bins for recyclable materials are cheaper than for mixed household waste. If your bins are located more than 15 meters from the curb, you can reduce the fee by moving the bins closer to the street.

If you live in multi-family housing, it would be advisable to reconsider the number of gray bins and have fewer if possible. Alternatively, green, blue, or brown bins for recyclable materials can be added.

Fireworks remnants and unexploded fireworks should be returned to Sorpa recycling centers, not in the gray bin.

Residents are encouraged to clean up firework remains in their immediate surroundings after New Year's Eve, as remains of rocket fireworks, cake fireworks, and other types fireworks are left around the City. It is important for everyone to work together and for residents to clean up any traces of fireworks in their immediate surroundings. It is recommended that people return the collected material to the recycling centers of SORPA bs. or to collection containers where fireworks are sold—and not in household waste bins.

Residents can pick up labeled bags for excess mixed waste. They are available at the nearest N1 station in Reykjavík or at the Reykjavík City Customer Service, Borgartún 12–14. The bags are left by the bins and will be removed during the next waste collection.

The bags are intended only for mixed household waste, and it is forbidden to put in them toxic waste or other hazardous materials, plastic, metals, glass, textiles, and paper, packaging with a return fee, electrical appliances, timber and other bulky waste, garden waste, bricks, soil, or rocks. Such waste is to be returned to the recycling centers of SORPA bs.

Excess waste can also be taken to drop-off center or recycling center.

It is important that waste goes into the correct bins as the Act on the Circular Economy requires everyone to sort paper, plastic, food waste, glass, metals, textiles, toxic waste, and pharmaceuticals.

Moreover, it is forbidden to put bottles and cans, garden waste, soil, and metals in the gray bin.

Waste collection staff monitor whether sorting has been done correctly. Bins with incorrect sorting will not be emptied.

Act No 26/1994 on Multi-Owner Buildings addresses owners’ rights and obligations in these buildings. Waste storage is generally in the common property of multi-owner buildings, and all owners share responsibility in solidum for the shared space according to Article 57 of the Act. The homeowners’ association and the owners are liable for the common costs according to Articles 43 and 47 and are therefore liable for costs incurred for incorrectly sorted waste.

If it is proven that one owner is causing costs to the homeowners’ association by not sorting the waste, the homeowners’ association can reclaim the expense according to the general right of requisition. The homeowners’ association may also set house rules that cover the sorting of waste cf. Article 41(C)(1) and Article 74 of the Act, in particular 74(3)(1).

If it is proven that one owner repeatedly fails to comply with the rules, the homeowners’ association may impose a ban on the owner’s right to reside or stay in the building, cf Article 55(1) of the Act but care must be taken to provide the owner with the opportunity to improve, pursuant to subsection 2 of the same Article. The opinion of the Housing Complaints Committee can be obtained pursuant to section 80 of the Act on the dispute between co-owners regarding the interpretation of the Act and/or the case can be taken to court pursuant to section 80(6) of the Act to seek a final conclusion on the dispute.

Lot holders need to apply for a building permit from the Building Commissioner for the changes if they want to move their waste storage. The Department of Environment & Planning will provide residents with any additional information and will be available for guidance and advice regarding the relocation of waste storage when possible by phone at 411 1111 and email at byggingarfulltrui@reykjavik.is.

The Act on the Circular Economy requires everyone to sort their waste and set up bins for paper, plastic, food waste, and mixed household waste on their property. There is no general rule on the number of bins per apartment, so residents can decide how many to have and that affects the cost.

The need is determined by various factors such as the number of residents, consumption habits, and how diligent residents are at sorting.

If a container cannot be emptied due to obstacles, incorrect sorting, or other reasons, residents may request an additional waste collection. The services are paid for according to the Fee Schedule.

From an environmental point of view, it pays to sort, collect, export, and recycle glass from Iceland. Glass can now be brought to all drop-off centers and has been used as a base layer, which counts as recycling. Plans are in place to set up equipment to prepare it for recycling abroad.

Mixed household waste is now mostly (about 80%) baled and sent to Sweden for incineration. What remains is transported to Álfsnes and landfilled there. Waste incineration is considered better than landfilling as incineration has a smaller impact on the climate.

SORPA bs. operates the landfill site at Álfsnes, which is designated as an industrial area. The vehicle fuel methane has been produces in Álfsnes since 1999 from landfill gas which arises from the decomposition of organic waste in the landfill. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, or up to 21 times more powerful than carbon dioxide if it is allowed to evaporate from unhindered from the landfill site. By collecting the landfill gas, purifying it, and using it as automotive fuel, instead of imported fossil fuels, the greenhouse effect of the landfill site is minimal.

Only clean plastic goes into the green bin, both soft and hard plastics. Flexible plastics include plastic bags, plastic film, and bubble wrap. Hard plastics include plastic trays and bottles and other plastic containers from cleaning agents and food products.

Clean off food and chemical residues from the plastic as much as possible and reduce its volume before putting it in the bin.

It is important not to put foam plastic in green bins but to take it to Sorpa recycling centers.

Metals, electrical appliances, batteries, hazardous waste, paper materials, and other waste materials should not go into the green bin. Good sorting is a prerequisite for recycling plastic.

Residents who choose to have recyclable plastics collected must order a green bin.

In Reykjavík, residents choose the most appropriate way to get rid of sorted recyclables. Some Reykjavík residents prefer to return sorted recyclables to drop-off centers or recycling centers that are close by or along their way, rather than having an additional bin at their home.

For information on the price of a green bin, please refer to the Waste Collection Fees.

These fees are included with property taxes, and in Reykjavík they vary based on the number of bins, container size, collection rate, distance to unload the container, and the type of waste. The fees will be updated the same week a request to change the bins is made.

Green bins are usually emptied every 21 days.

You can check the waste collection calendarto find out when your waste will be collected. This calendar is organized by City district.

Residents must request a green bin for plastic at their home. The green bin is delivered free of charge.

The green bin is usually emptied every three weeks or 21 days. Note that the collection is usually done with split vehicles so that two types of waste are collected at once.

Plastics account for about 20% of mixed waste that goes in the gray bins and thrifty bins, and half the volume, so it is foreseeable that the volume would be lower in the gray bin. In households where there is little mixed waste, for instance due to sorting, residents of a single family home can request a thrifty bin that is cheaper and half the size of the gray bin. Residents of multi-family dwellings can reconsider the number of gray bins and have fewer bins if warranted, thus paying lower fees.

The City of Reykjavík allows residents to choose the level of service that is right for them and to pay for the service accordingly. Residents can therefore choose whether to use the services of a drop-off center or recycling center, or whether they prefer recyclable waste to be collected at their homes.

At the top of the page you can find a calendar for waste collection at homes in Reykjavík.

If incorrectly sorted waste ends up in the green bin, it cannot be emptied as foreign substances can destroy the recyclables already in the waste collection vehicle. The incorrectly sorted material must be removed from the bin before it can be emptied. If you need it to be emptied before then, you must do one of the following:

1. Contact the City of Reykjavík and request an additional waste-collection pick-up according to the fee schedule
   
2. Take the plastic from the bin to the nearest drop-off center or recycling center. View the map of collection points in the waste collection calendar.

Sorting and returning plastics for recycling increases recycling of plastics and reduces the amount of waste in landfills. It is important to prevent plastic waste from ending in landfills from an environmental point of view, as that means we are wasting resources that would otherwise have been used. It also costs more to treat unsorted mixed waste than sorted plastic materials, so the green bin is cheaper than the gray bin.

SORPA bs. bags plastics that are returned for recycling in their collection and sorting center in Gufunes. The plastic materials are sent to Sweden, where the material is either recycled or incinerated for energy production. A large proportion of plastics can be recycled and incineration for energy production is a more optimal alternative to landfills in cases where recycling is not feasible for some reason. Sorting and return for recycling is the basis for this to be possible.

Plastics are one of the most common materials in our environment and their use is constantly increasing. Its share was 20% in mixed waste according to an analysis done by SORPA bs. in 2014, amounting to the second largest category after organic waste. A total of 18,085 tonnes of mixed household waste was generated in 2014, so an estimated 3,617 tonnes of plastic is expected to have gone to landfill in Álfsnes that year. Some 1,700 tonnes or more of plastic can be expected to be returned for recycling in Reykjavík, if comparable results are achieved as with the sorting of paper materials.

Clean recyclable plastics can be disposed of as follows:

1. Municipal green bin
   It must be ordered, and residents can usually start sorting for it as soon as it has been delivered.
   
2. Recycling center
   There are six such stations in the capital area and they also accept many other types of recyclables.
   View maps and information on recycling centers
   
3. Recycling drop-off point
   There are 57 such stations within Reykjavík where, in addition to paper and cardboard, you can return plastic and, in some cases, returnable packaging and clothes.
   View map of recycling drop-off points

In the blue bin you can put five categories of paper and cardboard. They are:

• Corrugated cardboard, such as pizza boxes, shoe boxes, and other cardboard boxes. Corrugated cardboard is recognizable because, when it is torn, you can see that it is double-walled with corrugated cardboard in the middle.
• Newspapers, magazines, and advertising mailings. Everything that comes in through the letter hatch. Also books. Adhesive stripes and the transparent plastic may be thrown away with the envelopes, you don’t have to tear it off.
• Cartons, such as for milk, fruit juice, and cream. The plastic top, often used on cartons to simplify their use and protect the contents, may be left on the cartons. Aluminum and plastic films inside the carton does not reduce their recyclability.
• Office paper. Both colored and white photocopy and printer paper.
• Packaging paper and cardboard such as cereal boxes, egg trays, and biscuit packs. Gift-wrapping paper can also go into the blue bin.

The recycling value of paper materials depends on their purity. It is important to clean any food leftovers from the packaging and soiled kitchen paper and napkins should be placed in the gray bin or sorted for composting. Disposable diapers should go in the gray bin with the mixed waste.

Material placed in the blue bin should be placed loose in the bin. Do not put the material in plastic bags.

Good sorting is a prerequisite for recycling.

Residents who choose to have paper and cardboard collected must order the blue bin.

In Reykjavík, residents choose the most appropriate way to get rid of sorted recyclables. Some Reykjavík residents prefer to return sorted recyclables to drop-off centers or recycling centers that are close by or along their way, rather than having an additional bin at their home.

For information on the price of a blue bin, please refer to the Waste Collection Fees.

These fees are included with property taxes, and in Reykjavík they vary based on the number of bins, container size, collection rate, distance to unload the container, and the type of waste. The fees will be updated the same week a request to change the bins is made.

Blue bins are generally collected every 21 days.

You can check the waste collection calendarto find out when your waste will be collected. This calendar is organized by City district.

Residents must request a blue bin for paper and cardboard at their home. The blue bin is delivered free of charge.

The bin is usually emptied every three weeks or 21 days. Note that the collection is usually done with split vehicles so that two types of waste are collected at once.

In households where there is little mixed waste, for instance due to sorting, residents of a single family home can request a thrifty bin that is cheaper and half the size of the gray bin. Residents of multi-family dwellings can reconsider the number of gray bins and have fewer bins if warranted, thus paying lower fees.

The City of Reykjavík allows residents to choose the level of service that is right for them and to pay for the service accordingly. Residents can therefore choose whether to use the services of a drop-off center or recycling center, or whether they prefer recyclable waste to be collected at their homes.

At the top of the page you can find a calendar for waste collection at homes in Reykjavík.

Waste that does not belong in the blue bin can destroy recyclables that are already in the waste collection vehicle. Before the bin can be emptied, you need to remove the misclassified waste. The bin will then be emptied on the next collection day, after more than three weeks. If the bin needs to be emptied before then, you can:

1. Contact the City of Reykjavík and request an additional waste-collection pick-up to be paid for according to the table of fees.
   
2. Bring the paper from the bin to the nearest drop-off center or recycling center.

The sorting and recycling of paper has environmental benefits and is more economical than placing it in gray bins and burying it in the landfill in Álfsnes. Paper is a resource that can be used for various things if it is sorted and returned for recycling.

Paper returned for recycling is mechanically sorted at the collection and sorting center of SORPA in Gufunes, where corrugated cardboard is separated from non-corrugated cardboard and paper. The material is pressed and bagged and then transported to Sweden for further sorting and recycling. The recycled paper and cardboard is used, as an example, to manufacture toilet paper, kitchen towels, newspaper paper, and carton used to make new packaging. The recycled corrugated cardboard is used to produce new corrugated cardboard.

Paper is a resource that can be used for various things if it is sorted and returned for recycling. The sorting and recycling of paper and cardboard has environmental benefits and is more economical than placing it in gray bins and burying it in the landfill in Álfsnes. That is why the blue bin is cheaper than the gray one.

Paper material returned for recycling is mechanically sorted at the collection and sorting center of SORPA bs. In Gufunes, where corrugated cardboard is separated from non-corrugated cardboard and paper. The material is pressed and bagged and then transported to Sweden for further sorting and recycling. The recycled paper and cardboard is used, as an example, to manufacture toilet paper, kitchen towels, newspaper paper, and carton used to make new packaging. The recycled corrugated cardboard is used to produce new corrugated cardboard.

Paper and cardboard can be disposed of at the following locations:

1. Reykjavík blue bins
   It must be ordered, and residents can usually start sorting for it as soon as it has been delivered.
   
2. Recycling center
   There are six such stations in the capital area and they also accept many other types of recyclables.
   View maps and information on recycling centers
   
3. Recycling drop-off point
   There are 57 such stations within Reykjavík where, in addition to paper and cardboard, you can return plastic and, in some cases, returnable packaging and clothes.
   View map of recycling drop-off points

Gray bins (including the thrifty bin) are for mixed household waste. Examples for mixed household waste:

• Vacuum cleaner bags
• Disposable diapers
• Disposable sanitary pads
• Wet wipes

What cannot go in the gray bin:

• Food leftovers
• Recyclable paper or cardboard
• Textiles
• Refundable beverage containers
• Garden waste
• Masonry fragmentation
• Minerals
• Coarse waste, such as timber and scrap metals
• Electrical equipment
• Batteries
• Toxic waste
• Medicines

Residents must have access to a bin for mixed waste at their home.

The gray bin is designed to hold up to 240 liters of mixed waste, but single-family households with smaller amounts of waste may opt for the 120 liter thrifty bin, which is more cost-effective than the gray bin.

Residents of multi-family housing may request a 660 liter container, if conditions allow.

For pricing information on gray bins and thrifty bins, please refer to the Waste Collection Fees.

These fees are included with property taxes, and in Reykjavík they vary based on the number of bins, container size, collection rate, distance to unload the container, and the type of waste. The fees will be updated the same week a request to change the bins is made.

Gray bins and thrifty bins are generally collected every 14 days.

You can check the waste collection calendarto find out when your waste will be collected. This calendar is organized by City district.

If the waste is incorrectly sorted in the gray bin, it is not emptied. Before the bin can be emptied, you need to remove the misclassified waste. The bin will then be emptied on the next collection day, after more than two weeks. If the bin needs to be emptied before then, you can:

1. Contact the City of Reykjavík and request an additional waste-collection pick-up to be paid for according to the table of fees.
   
2. Bring the misclassified waste from the bin to the nearest drop-off center or recycling center.

Business operators must take care collecting and handling any waste they generate. The City of Reykjavík is responsible for waste collection within city limits and for ensuring that infrastructure is in place to ensure proper waste management. Business operators are free to negotiate with private operators to collect and sort any waste generated by their operations.

SORPA bs. accepts sorted waste from private operators at collection centers, but the private operators are free to choose the means they prefer for recyclables. Private operators that collect mixed waste from businesses are responsible for bagging and packing the waste before returning it to the landfill site in Álfsnes.

The City's blue and green bins are only available for homes in Reykjavík, and are not available for businesses and institutions. These entities can return sorted waste to recycling centers. Business operators do not pay for the return of recyclables, but they pay for returning mixed waste and other waste categories according to the fee schedule of SORPA bs.

A number of service providers also provide bins for recyclables and take care of their transportation for institutions and companies across the country.