Today, waste communication varies from country to country and in some cases from municipalities to municipalities. This can create confusion among citizens, and ultimately lead to ineffective waste management. Therefore, the Danish Waste Association, Local Government Denmark and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with the strategic design company Futu have developed a common pictogram system to be used for waste sorting all over Denmark. The pictogram system is currently being implemented in several Nordic countries and NCM Latvia is now, together with the NCM offices in Estonia and Lithuania looking to extend the project to the Baltic countries.
Baltic countries have high amounts of waste that ends up in landfillings, something that was highlighted by the project “Towards a Textile Circulation System in the Nordic and Baltic Countries” carried out in all Baltic countries. More specifically, in Latvia, there has not been an approach to develop a unified design or to involve citizens in the process until now, and for this reason the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development are highly motivated to move forward with waste pictograms at a national level in Latvia.
Establishing a standardization for waste pictograms brings a dual advantage: it simplifies waste sorting for citizens and enhances communication for producers by providing clear labeling on packaging. By harmonizing pictograms across the region, we guarantee consistent communication for citizens and industries alike, regardless of location. This initiative not only serves the citizens and industry but also offers governments in the Nordic-Baltic region an opportunity to showcase best practices to the EU and other nations, positioning the region as a leader in unified waste communication.
Circular economy is at the core of the EU’s green deal. The pictogram project is part of the solution for a very important area of the circular economy; namely the side-stream flows and waste management. By helping solve the communication and practical issues that are related to waste management, the project will be an important contribution to the Nordic Council of Ministers vision for a Nordic region as the world's most sustainable region.
The experience of implementing Danish waste pictograms in the Nordic countries was shared at the webinar “Tips & Tricks for the Baltics!” on 23 February 2021 aimed at highlighting the recent Nordic experiences with waste pictograms, as well as sharing the lessons learned and outlining the different aspects of waste pictogram implementation.
In September 2021, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development of the Republic of Latvia, the research centre SKDS conducted a survey on waste sorting habits in Latvia. 76% of respondents are actively sorting waste. The questionnaire covered 11 different types of waste (plastic, glass, metal, batteries, etc.) and the data shows that 18% of respondents sort only one or two types of waste, while most of the people who do sort regularly sort three or four (29%) or more than five (29%) types of waste. However, only 37.8% are sorting the three most common types of everyday waste – glass and plastic packaging and paper. Only 27.5% of respondents sort glass, plastic, paper, and batteries.
1017 Latvian residents aged between 18 and 75 were surveyed. The full report of the survey results is available here (in Latvian): Atkritumu šķirošanas esošās prakses Latvijā. The survey was part of the project “Adapting the Danish pictogram system to the Baltic States” implemented by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development. The project gathered Latvian entrepreneurs, municipal representatives, waste managers and non-governmental organization introducing to them the waste sorting pictogram system used in the Nordic countries. Adopting this system could simplify sorting in Latvia and elsewhere in Europe. Locally, the introduction of the pictogram system is voluntary for municipalities, waste managers and businesses.
On 16–17 June 2022, the final workshop of the project “Adapting Danish pictograms in the Baltic States” took place, bringing together partners and stakeholders from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Denmark to share experiences on the achievements and challenges of the project, as well as to discuss possible future scenarios for facilitating waste sorting in the Baltic States and beyond.
On the first day of the seminar, participants visited the Riga Technical University already using the pictograms on household waste containers for glass bottles, jars, and light packaging such as plastics, paper, cardboard, and metal cans. This system was introduced at Riga Technical University only last year, when waste generation and disposal habits were seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions. Therefore, no reliable conclusions on the impact of pictograms on the waste separation success of students and staff can be drawn from that time.
On the second day of the seminar, Niels Toftegaard from the Danish Waste Association shared his experience, tracing the path of the Danish pictograms in other Nordic countries and in the Baltic States. Colleagues from Lithuania shared their successful experience with the introduction of pictograms in Vilnius sorting lots and their plans to extend the practice to other Lithuanian municipalities. As the Estonian representatives have slightly changed the design of the pictograms, they emphasised the importance of colour in creating the sorting system. For the pictogram system to expand producers must be involved in the process and encouraged to use pictograms on their produce and packaging. Toms Auškāps, Communications and Development Director at Balticovo JSC, shared his opinion from the producer’s perspective.
In Latvia, all stakeholders have been informed about the pictograms, and a website https://piktogrammam.lv in Latvian has been set up. It contains pictogram files for free download (32 pictograms available in different sizes), as well as rules and recommendations for using thereof.
Cooperation partners: Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development in Latvia, Ministry of the Environment in Estonia, Ministry of Environment in Lithuania, Things Foundation in Estonia, Public Institution Mes Darom in Lithuania, Dansk Affaldsforening and Avfall Sverige, Consulting Agency Sustainable Tips, Climate-Kic – Latvia.
Common symbol system to simplify sorting of packaging and other waste from Avfall Sverige on Vimeo.
- The pictograms for waste sorting
- Waste sorting practices in Latvia
- Summary of survey results
- User Manual in Latvian
- User Manual in Russian
- User Manual in English
- Danish pictogram system: Short history & developments by Niels Toftegaard, Communication Consultant, Danish Waste Association
- The Nordic pictogram system: Short description on the joint work and the project. The Swedish approach by Anna-Carin Gripwall, Head of Communications, Avfall Sverige
- Pictogram system: Finnish experiences by Kaisa Halme, Head of Communications at KIVO, Finland
- Waste pictogram system: Latvian Radio 1 broadcast “Known in the Unknown”, 24.02.2021