The sorting yard in Pyhäjärvi has been in use for the fourth year

A long-honed concept

The Veloop sorting yard is an automated sorting yard that enables flexible recycling of waste. It is a user-friendly and cost-effective solution that combines easy accessibility, seamless remote monitoring and infrastructure to support logistics.

Jukka Saukko, Veloop’s project manager, says that the concept was first conceived in 2017, when the company had several predecessors to the sorting yard, commercial waste stations that were only open once a week. As society began to change and people’s need to recycle increased, they had to be redesigned.

– The number of visitors grew at a rapid pace, the volume of the stations was no longer sufficient and the workers could not cope with the volumes of waste. A customer satisfaction survey also revealed that opening hours and yard operations did not meet customer needs. The hasty solution was to buy an extra day for the stations, at a cost of more than €100 000. The cost structure could not cope with this, so we had to rethink the whole thing,” explains Saukko.

A review of the operation of the collection points revealed that up to half of the work of the waste collectors was spent on pricing and receiving payment. A more cost-effective solution was needed, and the answer was found in the self-service model: nowadays, customers pay for their service through a service machine, sort their waste independently and receive assistance remotely if necessary.

– People can operate independently in car parks and petrol stations, so why not at waste stations? Otter asks.

Although the Veloop Sorting Yard is designed around remote monitoring, the concept can also be combined with traditional operations.

Easy-to-use self-service station

Veloop sorting yards are already in use in 16 locations. Although the yards are located in different parts of Vestia’s territory and one outside it in Lapland, they are all conveniently controlled from Ylivieska. Customers are guided remotely when needed, freeing up municipal resources and reducing costs.

According to Jukka Saukko, most of the sorting yard’s customers are able to work independently. When the yard is opened in a community, 80 percent of the residents are immediately able to work without help, and after a year the figure is 90 percent. The remaining ten percent need guidance, for example on where to sort waste.

– Even if you are acting independently, you will not be left alone, as remote monitoring is always available to help. The monitoring station monitors the activity and gives instructions if necessary,” says Saukko.

Although the Veloop Sorting Yard is designed around remote monitoring, the concept can also be combined with traditional operations. This has been done in Pyhäjärvi.

– It is important for us to have opening hours during the week when the waste station attendant is present. There is also remote support if you need it, and as society becomes more digital, many people know how to use it,” says Henrik Kiviniemi.

Accessibility supports recycling

Pyhäjärvi is a good example of the impact of good waste management. The Veloop sorting yard is now in its fourth year of operation and its utilisation rate is significantly higher than at the old station: visitor numbers have increased by 31%, which has also increased the amount of waste brought in year on year. The acceptance rate for hazardous waste such as fuel oil and paint has increased by more than 200% and for batteries by 150%.

According to the Mayor, it is easy to say that the concept works. The sorting yard has been very well received, and local residents are not the only ones who benefit from it.

– Because of the waterfront, we have a large number of leisure residents who are best served by the accessibility and opening hours of the sorting yard. For them, the recycling challenge was highlighted, so this is a big improvement for them too,” Kiviniemi says, and continues:

– The sorting yard makes recycling easy for everyone, making it easy to change your lifestyle to be more environmentally friendly. It makes you feel good to be able to take these things into account in the little things in your everyday life.

Jukka Saukko agrees: as people’s need for recycling increases, the municipality must be able to provide services to meet it. Vestia’s data shows that when services become more accessible, people recycle more often. For example, between 2022 and 2023, the amount of waste recycled at sorting yards increased by 54%.

Although the quantities of waste imported at any one time are smaller, they are of better quality. In this way, the residual value of the waste is preserved and it can be better used as a new circular material.

– The Vestia Sorting Yard has delivered the benefits we were looking for. Feedback has been good and the recycling rate of previously poorly collected waste, such as motor oil, has increased significantly. The yard has extended opening hours and made the principle clear to all age groups,” says Henrik Kiviniemi.