Stockholm district increased plastic sorting by 44%

A pilot project in Hammarby Sjöstad, Stockholm’s model sustainable district, is demonstrating how digital tools can motivate residents to improve their plastic sorting habits. With the help of an incentive-based app, people didn’t just sort better, they kept sorting better over time.

Participants were offered clear information, practical tips, gamified sorting tools, and competitions that boosted motivation and engagement. In addition, households received regular feedback on, for example, their sorting statistics, and could compare themselves with other residents.

Measurable Impact

The project’s result showed a significant change in people’s habits. For example:

– Household plastic sorting increased by up to 44% during the project.
– Even after the project ended, sorting remained 20% higher compared to before it started.
– Clarifying the relation between plastic sorting and carbon emissions saved contributed to increasing people’s motivation to sort correctly.

Citizen engagement is key

According to Envac, one of the partners involved in the project, if every household in Stockholm sorted plastic packaging correctly, CO2 emissions could be cut by 40,000 tonnes each year. However, achieving this requires widespread citizen engagement. This pilot shows that digital tools that combine incentives, such as tips and rewards, can encourage more sustainable choices, an idea with potential for broader application.

Next steps

Following the success in Hammarby Sjöstad, Stockholm Water and Waste plans to expand the initiative to Stockholm Royal Seaport in 2025. In addition, Sjöstaden’s Western Garbage Collection Association is exploring a waste-based tariff system, where fees are based on the volume of waste generated instead of a flat rate, creating more incentives for responsible sorting.