Waste Management in Copenhagen

The residential recycling bins are placed directly at households or in the inner courtyards of apartment buildings.

The following types of waste is source separated at the household:

• Food waste
• Plastic
• Food and beverage cartons
• Paper
• Cardboard
• Glass
• Metal
• Textile waste
• Garden waste
• Hazardous waste
• Electronic waste
• Large interior
• Wood – indoors

Recycling Centers

In addition to the residential recycling, there are recycling centers where citizens can bring their waste resources and sort them into 32 types of recyclable waste. 12 smaller local recycling centers provide Copenhageners with the opportunity to sort their household waste together with larger interior closer to home.

All recycling centers, both large and small, are equipped with reuse points where citizens can donate and collect items that are still usable to take back home.

Public Sorting Points

The city contains more than 300 "sorting islands" where citizens are able to source-separate their waste on the go. These public recycling bins function as an addition to the recycling bins located at residences throughout Copenhagen.

Moreover, there are 550 glass containers for disposal situated on public sidewalks and spaces.

Producer Responsibility

In contrast to many other countries, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes in Denmark and in Copenhagen only cover WEEE, batteries, and end-of-life vehicles. However, for WEEE and batteries collection, local authorities still have a major role to play.

The local authorities collect these types of waste and hand it over to the EPR systems. The EPR systems finance the collection.

Packaging and packaging waste

Most EU countries have an EPR system for packaging. This is still not the case in Denmark and in Copenhagen, where the municipalities have the responsibility for managing packaging waste. This will change from 1. October 2025, when the new Danish EPR system for packaging comes into force.

Read more about the upcoming Danish producer responsibility system for packaging (new window)

Denmark has a deposit-return scheme for beverage containers of glass, metal, and PET, ensuring a very high return rate of ~92 % for these types of packaging.

Read more about the deposit return system in Denmark (new window)