Tallinn Deputy Mayor for Utilities and Business Development Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa) wrote in Postimees that waste management is facing a significant state-imposed tax increase, as the cost of handling mixed municipal waste is set to rise by 75 percent.

He pointed out that, starting July 1, the landfill fee at the Jõelähtme landfill will triple and a new incineration fee of €60 per ton will be introduced for mixed municipal waste.

"The incineration fee will have a direct impact on capital city residents, as all mixed municipal waste collected in Tallinn is transported to the Iru incineration plant. Due to its high biowaste content, this waste is not suitable for landfilling," Järvan said.

Ivo Jaanisoo, deputy secretary general for living environment and circular economy at the Ministry of Climate, told ERR that the cost of household waste for the end consumer will not rise by 75 percent.

"In making that claim, the deputy mayor of Tallinn overlooks the core principle of the waste reform — separate collection helps keep costs under control. The goal is specifically to reduce the volume of mixed municipal waste," Jaanisoo explained. "With separate collection, the amount of mixed municipal waste can be reduced several times over, making up only about one-fifth of household waste. The majority is actually packaging."

Jaanisoo added that if separate collection is not implemented, then the cost of emptying a single container of mixed municipal waste will increase by about €0.30 to €0.95, depending on the size of the container, due to higher pollution charges.

He also noted that if Tallinn plans to terminate its current waste contracts, the new agreements must allow for the convenient separate collection of waste, meaning that packaging and paper/cardboard waste should be accepted close to home.

"Moreover, the Packaging Act stipulates that under the waste reform, residents will pay a maximum of €0.50 per container emptying for these services," Jaanisoo emphasized.

Currently, mandatory collection of packaging waste is already organized under valid contracts in nine municipalities and more than 60 municipalities offer it as an optional service.

According to Jaanisoo, the approximately ten municipalities that have not yet introduced a voluntary service for residents must now act and launch procurement processes for packaging waste collection alongside existing contracts, enabling people to better control their expenses.

"In the meantime, a network of public collection containers can help keep costs down," he added.

Households in Estonia generate hundreds of thousands of tons of municipal waste annually, which is currently either incinerated or landfilled. The goal of the waste reform is to make separate collection easy and financially beneficial while drastically increasing the use of waste as a raw material.

Apartment buildings will generally be required to have four containers: one each for mixed municipal waste, biowaste, waste paper and cardboard packaging and plastic and metal packaging. Local governments will determine the solution for collecting glass packaging.

The volume of landfilled municipal waste is expected to drop to nearly zero as a result of the reform.

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