Waste

In Denmark, we aim to recycle as much waste as possible in order to be as environmentally responsible as possible.

The municipalities are responsible for providing waste bins and collecting waste from properties. 

If you live in a residential building, you will most often find waste containers in the backyard. Please ask your landlord for detailed information on how to handle your waste.

If you rent your home, waste handling is included in the monthly rent. If you own your home, you pay an annual fee to your municipality.

In most areas, citizens are required to separate their daily household waste. Your building might have waste containers for glass, paper, carton, plastic, electronic waste, batteries and dangerous waste.

In some municipalities, there are also municipal collection schemes for waste that cannot be handled together with general household waste – for example old furniture and broken fridges.

Recycling centres

You can recycle much of your waste at local recycling centres. This includes glass, metal, wood and paper items. Your waste must be sorted according to type.

Use the self-service to find information on how waste is managed in your municipality. 

You might for instance find your waste collection dates, order new bins or ask for help concerning recycling and waste management.

The self-service is available from borger.dk and in Danish only. Once you have selected your municipality, you will be able to see the self-services that apply to you:

• Waste management self-services on borger.dk (in Danish)

You are responsible for ensuring that your waste is disposed of safely. You have a duty to make sure that your waste does not pollute the environment or pose a threat to other people’s health.

Please pay particular attention to the safe disposal of hazardous waste and construction waste. 

If your house faces a public road, you are required to keep your pavement free of snow and put down salt or grit the pavement so that pedestrians can walk safely – and so that your waste can be collected. 

You should keep the pavement outside your property free of snow between 7.00 in the morning and 22.00 in the evening.

On Sundays, you must have the snow cleared by 8.00 in the morning.

If your house faces a private common road, you are also required to clear the snow on your part of the road. 

You can read more about snow clearing regulations on borger.dk:

• Vejene i snevejr (in Danish)

If you are dissatisfied with how the waste is being managed, you can file a complaint to the municipality. 

You cannot appeal against the municipality’s decision to another authority. 

The framework legislation for the environment is called ‘Miljøbeskyttelsesloven’ (the environmental protection act). Here you can read more about the disposal of waste:

• Miljøbeskyttelsesloven (in Danish)

You can find the regulations for municipal waste management in the Statutory Order on Waste:

• Statutory Order on Waste (in Danish)

Find the waste regulations of the municipality:

• Municipal waste regulations (in Danish)

On the website of the Environmental Protection Agency, you can read more on the Danish waste policy; for instance how waste is managed, how to dispose of waste, fines for littering etc.:

• The Environmental Protection Agency on waste