Through the end of this year, the disposal fee for yard waste is €20.60 per cubic meter, with up to 0.6 cubic meters of yard waste accepted free of charge. Beginning January 1, however, the rate will be a uniform €6.10 per cubic meter, including VAT, the City of Tallinn announced.

Thus, a 100-liter bag of biodegradable yard waste will cost €0.61.

"Ending this free waste disposal is linked to waste management obligations," explained Tallinn Deputy Mayor Margot Roose (Eesti 200). "In an environmentally friendly city, landscaping waste isn't left to sit in heaps at waste stations; it's recycled. Compost production incurs costs for the acceptance, loading, transport and composting."

Compost made from yard waste is used in both city residents' gardens as well as city landscaping.

Tallinn Circular Economy Center director Rein Kalle added that the current yard waste acceptance system has led to a situation where the waste is brought to waste stations in small amounts at a time.

"Most of it is accepted for free this way, meaning that the stations essentially receive no revenue," he explained. "Given the general trend of rising costs, it isn't possible to provide this service in this manner anymore."

Tallinn Circular Economy Center waste stations accept 41 different categories of waste, some of which Tallinn residents can still dispose of free of charge.

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