Lappeenranta - Increasing of material recycling rate in waste management

Description

Circular economy and waste policy are part of the city of Lappeenranta Strategy 2037. Bio-waste separation in Lappeenranta began in 2002, requiring every household to separate biowaste from other waste materials. This initiative was part of a broader effort to establish a cost-effective and well-integrated recycling and waste management system.

To further reduce waste generation, the city has implemented various measures, including a citizen-focused project led by the University of Applied Sciences in collaboration with the local governments. This initiative enhances biowaste collection while promoting circular economy solutions, such as shared goods and lending services, to minimise waste, as well as identifying and improving access to circular economy consumer services through a digital platform.

Until 2023, the city was involved in the CIRCWASTE project, coordinated by the Finnish Environment Institute. This project developed a facility that produces composite materials from waste and improved waste collection processes. Additionally, LUT University, local businesses, and the city work together to create circular economy products, including geopolymers made from industrial by-products as sustainable alternatives to concrete and innovative composite materials derived from waste.

Until 2010, district heating mainly depended on natural gas, but with the launch of the KAUVO bio-power plant using forest industry by-products and increasing reliance on electricity and biomass. This is crucial considering that, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the energy mix had to be quickly diversified.

Results (achieved or expected)

By weighting the amount of biowaste in general waste, differences emerged among households: single houses performed well compared to rental houses, student houses and city centres. To address this, rental housing residents were provided with free paper bags to encourage biowaste separation, while restaurants and households in city centres received targeted guidance. As a result, by January 2025, the share of biowaste in general waste has been reduced to 10%.

Enabling conditions

• Communication with the citizens was vital for an efficient system: 95% of them are part of the waste process
  • Lappeenranta Junior University provides sustainable development education for children. In turn, the kids teach their parents at home how to separate waste  
  • Communication with households and restaurants helped to understand their behaviours
• Set ambitious targets, develop action plans, and implement them by building teams and engaging all stakeholders in the process. Defining clear goals embeds them in people's minds, driving progress even unconsciously

Obstacles and difficulties met

• Engaging and educating all stakeholders proved challenging, as awareness and understanding varied significantly across the board
• The complexity of waste management regulations made implementation difficult; clearer, more straightforward rules would have been more effective
• Limited funding and the slow pace of change hindered progress, highlighting the need for long-term planning and sustained investment
• Circular economy principles and waste management practices are not yet embedded in people's daily routines, partly due to the difficulty in interpreting existing regulations.

Evidence of success

• The proportion of biowaste in general waste dropped to 10% by January 2025, indicating improved separation behaviour across the city
• 95% of citizens are actively involved in the waste management process, showing strong civic engagement
• Targeted outreach (e.g. free paper bags for rental housing, tailored communication for city centre residents) led to improved participation among previously underperforming groups.
• Educational initiatives such as Lappeenranta Junior University successfully influenced household practices by empowering children to act as change agents
• Innovation partnerships resulted in new circular economy products, such as geopolymer alternatives to concrete and waste-derived composite materials, demonstrating scalable industrial synergies

Recommendations for cities interested in developing such a project

• Build stakeholder coalitions from the outset, involving citizens, schools, businesses, and academia to ensure buy-in and foster co-responsibility
• Design communication and incentives that address the specific challenges of different demographic or housing groups
• Incorporate sustainability into school curricula to catalyse behavioural change at the household level
• Use platforms to map and promote circular services, increasing visibility and accessibility for citizens
• Foster collaboration with universities and businesses to develop local circular economy solutions
• Ensure regulatory clarity, sustained funding, and continuous monitoring to support incremental and systemic change