Blue bin for paper

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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