Using broad initiatives, students are to be inspired to reduce their waste and increase their waste sorting. Reduced residual waste is good for the climate and environment and means cost-savings in waste management. During 2024, AF Bostäder deepened its cooperation with the waste management utility, Lunds Renhållningsverk, renovated waste rooms, opened an Art Exchange and launched the waste sorting campaign, Buzz of the month.
“A number of things in students’ everyday lives affect waste sorting,” says Mats Olsson, Property Manager at AF Bostäder. “It might concern how inviting their waste room is perceived to be, that signage is clear and which sorting options are available close to their housing. Knowledge and motivation are also important, as the students come from all over the world and have different experiences of waste sorting.”
AF Bostäder wants to increase the students’ waste sorting from around 55% of total waste to at least 62% in the next five years, a considerable challenge that is being tackled with a range of measures.
“We have worked actively for a long time on increasing the extent of waste sorting,” says Mats Olsson. “For example, we make sorting easier in the home environment, if there is room, by providing spaces with sorting containers in corridor accommodation, as well as distributing sorting bags to our apartment tenants when they move in. In our new buildings, there is space for containers under the sink. We also distribute fat funnels for sorting fat used in cooking. At the same time, we want to encourage reuse with exchange shelves at our waste stations, flea markets and the new Art Exchange at Vildanden, where students can exchange paintings free of charge.”
“In recent years, we have continued to invest in underground waste stations (UWS) in our areas, and in 2024 we freshened up several of our waste rooms with attractive furnishings, good lighting, instructively placed containers and new signage in two languages with clear images,” says Mats Olsson. “Our caretakers ensure that the rooms are kept neat and tidy.”
In 2024, AF Bostäder, in cooperation with Lunds Renhållningsverk, adjusted the frequency of emptying routines, optimised containers and expanded the collection of fat used in cooking to include all areas. New rates reward sorting, which provides opportunities for further savings if the students sort more of their waste.
“Most sorting takes place in the home and that is where we must reach the students,” says Louise Halén, Sustainability Coordinator at AF Bostäder. “We inform them every step of the way from the move-in email to tips and reminders on social media. In 2024, we arranged two competitions, one for the best reuse and one for how to prolong the life of plastic packaging. In addition, we have launched a year-long campaign in which each sorted category gets its own Buzz of the month. The campaign highlights the benefits of sorting and is communicated via email, on social media and on signs in the laundry rooms. In the autumn of 2024, we focused on plastic, glass and paper. In 2025, we are continuing with bulky waste, reuse and second-hand clothes, metal and food waste and fat used in cooking.”
Latest update June 17, 2025