Sorting waste in apartment buildings: facts and possibilities

Waste handling is a major challenge in today’s society. The amount of waste is increasing despite numerous, waste-system related improvements. In other domains of interest for sustainable development, researchers have recently started to investigate the user’s role instead of keeping a systems perspective that excludes the human factors. To investigate the use of existing waste-sorting infrastructure available at apartment buildings, this paper reports on a case study carried out in two buildings in Gothenburg/Sweden. Results from the study reveal mismatches between user needs and what the system offers. The aim was to identify a strategy that housing companies could take to allow for more effective sorting of household waste in rental housing areas, with special focus on the biodegradable fraction. The resulting strategy consists of practical solutions that can be implemented by housing companies with similar conditions.