From September, Brno’s waste management system will see a series of efficiency changes. Photo credit: SAKO Brno.
Brno, Sep. 5 (BD) – After several years, the current waste sorting system in Brno will see a change, to prepare for the completion of SAKO Brno’s automatic sorting line, which includes efficient and automised separation of metals. The yellow bins will now also take cans and metal food packaging. At the same time, Brno will gradually replace all full-colour containers with black bins with coloured lids, and fenced container stands will be constructed to house the bins. This was announced today by Petr Hladík (KDU-CSL), 1st Deputy Mayor of Brno, and Filip Leder, Chairman of the Board of the city’s waste management company, SAKO Brno.
“The automatic sorting line, which will begin operation on a trial basis this month, will reliably sort up to 95% of waste, including metal packaging from food and metal packaging from drinks,” said Hladík. “This led us to the idea of advancing further in the level of sorting and recycling and separating food metal waste directly.”
Until now, residents have put metal packaging in the black bins, after which SAKO Brno separated them from what remained from the waste that had been processed for energy. According to Hladík, the new sorting method will simplify and speed up the recycling of iron and non-iron packaging and will also increase the quantity of material recycled, especially smaller and thinner materials such as yoghurt lids, which otherwise burn up during energy generation.
Along with this, the city is starting to unify the appearance of all containers for sorted waste. They will be black, like the containers for mixed municipal waste, and will only differ in the colour of the lid: blue lids for paper, and yellow for plastic, beverage cartons and metal packaging.
“We were inspired by European cities such as Vienna, where black containers with colored lids were successfully introduced a few years ago,” said Leder. “The people of Brno sort their waste very well, and there is no longer a need to clearly indicate what type of waste the given container is intended for.”
In total, 2,800 blue and 3,000 yellow containers will be replaced. “We will start replacing them in the historic centre of the city, and the entire city will gradually be united in an elegantly unobtrusive colour within about five years, depending on when the containers reach their end of life.”
Another change being introduced by SAKO Brno is related to the reduction of so-called dustbin smog. “We support the initiatives of citizens who are asking us to remove the containers for mixed waste and place them in interior spaces designated for this purpose, and we want the container nests to harmonize more with the architecture of the city. We asked SAKO Brno to develop a proposal for fenced container stands, so that waste containers are hidden behind fences made of natural materials,” said Hladík.
Pilot sample fencing of container stands, which are currently being designed by the Brno architectural office, will be presented by SAKO Brno in the coming weeks.
“All three changes will move the level of waste sorting and separation in Brno to a qualitatively different level. All in all, it will actually be a minor design and system revolution in the collection and sorting of waste,” concluded Hladík.
Changes to the sorting system from September 2022 at a glance:
1. Yellow Metal Packaging
Along with plastic and beverage cartons, metal food packaging can now also be disposed of in the yellow bin, including: beverage cans, coffee or tea cans, food cans, durable food packaging, animal feed packaging, yoghurt lids, aluminium foil, food trays, sterilised food lids, and small metal packaging.
2. Uniform Appearance Of Containers
Brno will unify the design of all its containers for mixed municipal and sorted waste. They will be black and differ only in the colour of the lid: black for mixed municipal waste; yellow for plastics, beverage cartons and metal packaging; blue for paper.
3. High Quality Container Areas
According to requests from the city districts, SAKO Brno will gradually build fenced container parks so that waste containers are hidden behind fences made of natural materials and do not disturb the appearance of the streets.
