recycling

by Kay V.S.
Originally published in the January 1992 issue of the Fjord Flyer.

The life of an avid recycler becomes a bit more challenging while living in Norway.  Delivery sites are often out of the way, or non-existent.  Here are some hints to help you out and if you have additional information, please let us know so we can share it.

1. Watch what you buy:  Nip wastefulness in the bud.  Look at items critically.  Excess packaging?  Single use?  Poor construction?  Purchase another item.
   

2. Paper:  All paper types may be recycled-newspaper, magazines, junk mail, envelopes (tear plastic window away), typing paper, computer paper, boxes, telephone books, boxes which food was purchased in, etc. It may be picked up at your door or placed in a recycling container in your area.
   

3. Cans:  Rinse cans and remove the paper labels.  Flatten to save space. These may be delivered to the recycling bin in your area.
   

4. Bottles:  Return mineral water and alcoholic beverage bottles for deposit (pant) when possible.  Other non-deposit glass bottles can be delivered to the recycling container in your area. Rinse them and remove the label (if possible) and cover (recycle it with other metals). 
   

5. Milk cartons without a metallic lining may be recycled into egg cartons.  Only skim milk, skummet melk; 2%, lett melk; and whole milk; H melk cartons may be delivered.  The kefir, skummet kultur melk and the juice cartons are metal lined and are excluded.  Rinse each carton two times in cold water and flatten.  Slide several flattened cartons inside one carton to save space. You may have paper pick-up in your area.  If not, these too can be delivered to paper recycling bins found in your neighborhood.
   

6. Plastic:  I am unaware of a delivery site for plastic.
   

7. Toxic Waste:  Environmental poisons must not be thrown in your garbage can nor poured down the drain.  In Oslo, most gas stations have environmental stations, miljø stasjoner, providing a site for toxic waste disposal.  Contact your technical service (teknisk etat in the telephone book) to learn where you can dispose of these types of waste if you live outside of the Oslo area.  This group of toxic waste includes turpentine-white spirit; leftover paint and varnish; household metal polishing solutions; batteries, kerosene-parafin; gasoline-bensin; pesticides; rust remover-saltsyre; sulfuric acid-svovelsyre; caustic soda-kaustic soda; soda lye-natronlut.
   

8. Food Waste:  Compost it or throw it away. 
   

9. Medicine:  After checking the medicine cabinet remove all out-dated medicines.  Do not flush the medicine down the toilet.  Take them to your local pharmacy, apoteket, for proper disposal.

Make it easy for you to recycle at home.  Create a spot in a corner of your cupboard for paper.  Hang two bags in your broom closet-one for aluminum, the other for tin.  Rinse cans and jars; it is far more pleasant to have it in your cupboard, and not so sticky when you finally toss it in the container.

Recycling containers

Large recycling containers can be found outside apartment houses and row houses and at many RIMI stores. There are separate bins for paper (newspapers, milk cartons, cardboard, etc.) and glass (klart glass - clear glass - and farget glass - colored glass). The metal and aluminum is simply put in with the glass.