Reduce and Refuse, Recycle and Replace – the Plastics Roadmap for Finland

Plastics Roadmap "Reduce, refuse, recycle and replace" sets out a number of actions by which we can reduce the harm caused by plastics, avoid unnecessary consumption, improve the recycling of plastics, and find alternative solutions to replace plastics. The roadmap has some sectors in focus: the intention is to improve sorting of plastic waste at construction sites and to promote recycling and replacement of plastics in agriculture and horticulture.

Recycling solutions suitable for different value chains are promoted. Projects are launched to strengthen cooperation between operators and the sorting and processing competence in companies and research institutes required for well-functioning recycling.The intention is to introduce diverse recycling solutions for recovered plastics and invest in a big way in alternative solutions.

Financial instruments are also studied to be used as target-oriented means to influence the use of plastics. In the broad sense financial steering instruments may be understood to include producer responsibility systems, mixing obligations relating to recycled materials, and the pricing of products using different kinds of deposits, fees or taxes. For example, at the moment the efficient recycling of plastic bottles in Finland is based on a deposit-refund system.

A national programme was launched and funding has been allocated to the development of new value networks for the solutions, materials and technologies to replace plastics, as well as to business models developed jointly by various stakeholders.