The easiest way to sort waste at home: keep one bag or box for each kind (plastic, cardboard and paper, metal and aluminium, used oil, electronics and old clothes), rinse and dry everything before it goes in, and keep food scraps well away from them. Once the pile grows, ask for a collector in the Plstka app: they pick it up from your home for free and you earn points for it.
Why sort my waste at the source?
When all waste goes into one bag, plastic, cardboard and cans get soiled with food and liquids, and much of it is spoiled and can no longer be recycled. Sorting at home keeps each material clean and intact, so it reaches the factory still fit to become a new product.
Sorting also cuts the rubbish your home puts out every day, keeps the kitchen smelling better, and makes it easy for the collector to weigh each kind on its own and count your points correctly.
What do I need to start?
You don't need to buy anything special. Large bags or empty cartons are enough, plus a small spot on the balcony, under the sink or by the kitchen door. Write the kind on each bag or carton so anyone at home can put things in the right place without asking.
Step one: know the kinds of waste you have
Before you split things up, look at what your home actually throws out. Most homes have these kinds, the same ones Plstka collects:
- Plastic: Water, shampoo and detergent bottles.
- Aluminum: Cans and metal sheets.
- E-waste: Circuit boards, old phones and TVs.
- Copper: Wires, pipes and old copper parts.
- Used cooking oil: Leftover frying oil, in a sealed bottle.
- Scrap metal: Scrap iron and metal parts.
- Cardboard: Shipping boxes and product packaging.
- Clothes: Old clothes and fabric scraps.
You don't need every kind. Start with what you throw out every day, like water bottles and cartons, and add the rest one at a time.
Step two: rinse and dry everything
Rinse plastic bottles and cans with a little water once empty — leftover dishwater will do — and let them dry before they go in the bag. Cardboard and paper must stay dry, because damp ruins them. A container with grease or food that won't come off is better put with the regular rubbish.
Step three: make it smaller
Flatten cartons instead of leaving them as empty boxes, and crush plastic bottles and cans by hand or foot. The same bag then holds several times as much, and the waste takes less room at home until pickup day.
Step four: store it right
- Keep the bags somewhere dry and ventilated, out of direct sun and rain.
- Used oil goes in a tightly closed bottle, standing upright, away from the stove and any heat.
- Don't take old electronics apart or break them, and keep them out of children's reach, especially if they hold batteries.
- Fold old clothes and keep them in a closed bag so they stay clean.
What are the most common sorting mistakes?
The most common mistake is putting containers in with leftovers still inside, soiling the rest of the bag. The second is leaving cardboard on the balcony until rain or laundry soaks it. The third is filling the bags with things that aren't recyclable kinds, like food or tissues. The fourth is waiting until the house is crowded with waste instead of calling the collector as soon as there is enough.
The fix is simple: empty and rinse, store somewhere dry, and if you're unsure about something, keep it out of the sorting bags until you know.
What about big items like old appliances and metal?
Old appliances such as washing machines, fridges, water heaters and phones, and metal pieces such as iron, copper and aluminium, don't need a bag; just set them somewhere the collector can reach easily. Don't take appliances apart or remove parts yourself — leave them as they are. These items and many others have their points in the materials table, so check it before you send your order to know what you will earn.
What should not go in with the recyclables?
Food scraps, used tissues and nappies, face masks, medicines, and any containers holding chemicals or pesticides — each has its own disposal route, and mixed in with clean waste they spoil it. Anything that is not one of the kinds above stays out of the sorting bags.
How do I make sorting a habit for the whole home?
Put the bags somewhere visible near the kitchen, and explain the idea to everyone at home once. Children like having a role, such as being in charge of the plastic bag. Tie handing over the waste to a fixed day each week, so it becomes part of the routine like any errand.
When do I call the collector?
Once your waste reaches the minimum points shown in the app, send your order with one tap. Each area has a fixed day every week when the collector comes; they weigh your waste at your door, and the points land in your account to swap for gifts from our partners.
See the points for each material · Find your area's pickup day · Get the app