A new study from the Utility Regulator reveals a significant increase of about 40 percent in municipal waste fees. It has become significantly more expensive to handle waste, primarily because we are now required to sort it in more detail. The report from the Utility Regulator explains that waste fees for homeowners have increased from 2019 to 2023. For an average homeowner, the costs have almost doubled from 1,686 Danish kroner to 2,686 Danish kroner per year, equivalent to a 37 percent increase. For residents in apartment buildings, fees have increased from 1,909 to 2,788 Danish kroner, representing a significant increase of 46 percent.
Carsten Smidt, director of the Utility Regulator, explains that the increases in waste fees are linked to the increased municipal expenses for collecting recyclable waste, which has become significantly more expensive in connection with the implementation of household waste collection. “Part of the explanation for the rising fees can therefore probably be found here,” he says.
The background for the rising fees is the Danish Parliament’s adoption of new rules in 2020, which require waste to be sorted into ten different fractions to promote recycling. It was expected that these rules would lead to higher waste fees, but municipalities were also tasked with finding ways to reduce costs over time to counteract the increases. So far, these cost reductions have not been realized.
Additionally, the Utility Regulator’s study shows that municipalities’ expenses for waste management have increased from 1,465 to 2,006 Danish kroner per household in the relevant period.