INTERVIEW WITH KATJA ALAKERTTULA  – ECOFELLOWS LTD

“I think recycling is always somewhat of a mindset. If you are sort of born to do it since you are a kid, it’s a habit, and you continue doing it as you grow up. That’s why environmental education is key.” Katja Alakerttula from EcoFellows explains the main role and activities carried out in the STOPP project.

1. How can Ecofellows support the STOPP project to improve the awareness of reuse and recycling?

We at Ecofellows support the STOPP project with raising awareness of consumers with regards of reuse and recycling. With consumer awareness campaigns in early 2025, we supported the piloting phase of reusable food packages tested for the first time in the Tampere region. The markets concerning reuse are only developing in Finland, so it takes a lot of support for the consumers to learn how to do things in a new way. By using social media, we can approach different age groups when it comes to the main obstacles to recycling and reuse. During the project, we can support the use, reusing and finally recycling of plastic food packages in the Tampere region.

• How can the STOPP project advance Tampere regions waste management system?

We are working closely with our local waste management company Pirkanmaan Jätehuolto, who oversees the consumer side of the waste management system. In this project, we support Pirkanmaan Jätehuolto. As an affiliated partner, their participation in STOPP enables them to compare different collection systems in Europe and compare, how the comingled and source-separated collection of waste affects the impurities left in the plastic when washed and to be used again. With our partners in Slovenia, National institute of Chemistry, we can learn, does the compost sent from Pirkanmaan Jätehuolto in the Tampere region includes microplastic and what kind of effects it has on the environment. With a focus on the whole value chain of food plastic packages, we can learn the environmental effects as well as how behavioral patterns work when it comes to reuse and recycling. Lessons learned will be carefully studied and reflected both in Ecofellows as well as with Pirkanmaan Jätehuolto professionals.

• How do you think that recycling processes are seen by Finnish (and European) citizens? What can be done to simplify them and make them more attractive?

I think recycling is always somewhat of a mindset. If you are sort of born to do it since you are a kid, it’s a habit, and you continue doing it as you grow up. That’s why environmental education is key.

Then there is always the aspect of making it as easy as possible. Unfortunately, that is not the case everywhere. For instance, in Finland, where the distances are wide and people are scarcely populated, it can demand quite a lot of perseverance to recycle your plastics. It is a challenge, but it is also an opportunity to find new ways to redesign our recycling processes. Then again when it comes to bottles, cans and glass bottles, Finland is at the lead with a recycling rate of 96 % in 2021. It all comes down to a deposit system that encourages people to get their money back. If waste is valuable, it matters.

Finally, it is also a question of culture: what’s cool, and what’s not? I think we could use a lot more social media to make recycling cooler. There are so many big things behind recycling, and by using social media campaigns, we can bring awareness of littering, overconsumption, the climate crisis and the big question of what sustainable living is.