Waste sorting
There are 4 separate trash containers behind the building for packaging waste, paper and cardboard, bio-waste, and domestic waste. Please make sure you take your trash to the appropriate container. One carelessly thrown trash bag is enough to cancel out all the previous efforts of sorting waste because the contents of the container will no longer be sorted.
If you are unsure what type of trash you have accumulated or if you are not interested in sorting waste, please take your trash to the domestic waste container!
Many components of old batteries are toxic and pose a hazard to our natural environment and our health. You can take your old batteries to the designated box at your residence hall lobby.
Estonia has a refundable packaging deposit system. You can return the plastic, glass and metal packaging’s of water, carbonized drinks, beer, cider, perry and alcohol beverages to the vending machine to get your deposit back. More information is available HERE.
Some tips for sorting waste
- Clean the packages – all the packages separated from domestic waste should be clean and dried. Rinse, if necessary. Dirty packages and paper is domestic waste.
- Sort the waste by type – you may place only clean and dry paper and cardboard to the appropriate can.
- Juice boxes, cartons, bottles, jars etc that contain no food waste is all package waste.
- Everything else, including plastic milk packages, tin foil chip packs, food waste, or dirty trash is domestic waste.
- Press the packaging waste together – cardboard boxes, juice boxes etc should be folded or pressed together to save space in the can. Smaller packages can be put into bigger ones of the same type.
- Bio-waste – solid biodegradable food waste that must be put in the trash can without any trash bags or containers unless they are made of biodegradable materials. This can is not for liquids, non-biodegradable waste (plastic bags, packages etc), or any other waste unsuitable for compost.
Second hand
Clothing and other things you might not need anymore can be offered to other tenants via Facebook groups created for each residence hall.
You can also donate your things to Uuskasutuskeskus.
Saving energy
Each of us can save energy with even one simple action. See below for different ways to save energy by consciously following your consumption.
- Turn off the light when leaving the room. Do this also when using the common rooms of the student residence.
- Turn off and unplug devices that are not in use. Don’t just leave your phone or laptop charger plugged in.
- Avoid operating devices in standby mode. The main devices that consume energy in standby mode are computers, television sets, coffee machines, audio equipment and ovens with a digital clock. When the computer is not in use, it is wise to turn it off completely instead of putting it to sleep mode.
- Avoid charging smart devices overnight. Smartphones and tablets fill up in just a few hours. A fully charged smart device on the charger both consumes energy and shortens battery life.
- Avoid putting warm food in the refrigerator and adjust the refrigerator to the optimal temperature (recommended cool space temperature 4-5 °C and freezer temperature -18 °C). It is also important to defrost the refrigerator regularly to prevent the accumulation of excess ice and thereby reduce the efficiency of the refrigerator.
- Boil the water with an electric kettle according to the required amount.
- Optimize the use of electric floor heating in the bathroom. In the case of electric floor heating in the bathroom, the temperature can be adjusted lower and it can be turned off when the bathroom is not used for a longer period of time (for example, when leaving the student residence for a vacation).
- Turn off the water if you are not using it at the moment – both when showering and brushing your teeth, as well as when washing dishes. When washing the dishes, do not let the water run continuously.
- If we were to shorten the time of showering by one minute and everyone in Estonia would do it, we would save up to 8 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy in one month – this is equivalent to the annual heating needed for more than 500 private houses.
- Wash the laundry in a full washing machine and prefer a lower washing temperature for not excessively dirty laundry. In many cases, a washing program with 30-degree water is sufficient for washing clothes.
- Report a dripping faucet or a broken toilet flush tank immediately so that the maintenance team can fix the problem as soon as possible.
- Adjust the temperature lower if possible. In a living room where a person stays for a long time, the temperature should not be lower than 18 degrees. Most people prefer a temperature of 21 degrees.
- Adjust the temperature as needed – there is no need to over-adjust the radiator, as in this case the room will not warm up faster. It is reasonable to adjust the thermostat reading according to the temperature or between 2 and 3.
- In winter, leave a free space in front of the radiators so to spread the heat into the room. Do not cover the radiator thermostat with a curtain.
- To ventilate the room, open all windows for a short time. Opening all the windows for a short period of time will air out the home faster, and will not allow the temperature of the walls and furniture in the room to drop.