Correct Sorting Guide

Sorting is a positive choice, but doing it correctly is just as important: put glass in the green container, paper and cardboard in the blue container, and plastic, metal and composite packaging in the yellow container.

By sorting, we turn packaging into raw material: recycled waste becomes material for new products. This helps conserve dwindling non-renewable resources.

We help tackle climate change: sorting reduces the release of harmful gases produced as waste decomposes in landfill.

We save energy: recycling waste uses less energy than manufacturing new packaging.

Glass packaging waste container:

Glass never wears out and can be recycled indefinitely.

How should it be discarded? What should you know before disposing of glass packaging?

  • Packaging does not need to be washed; simply empty any liquids
  • Labels do not need to be removed
  • Light bulbs and other electrical equipment can be taken to collection points

Put in

  • Glass bottles
  • Glass food containers
  • Jars without lids
  • Glass oil bottles
  • Glass cosmetic containers
  • Glass perfume bottles
  • Broken glass packaging, bottles and jars

Do not put in

Take to a bulky waste collection site:

  • Mirrors
  • Porcelain
  • Crystal
  • Ceramics
  • All types of light bulbs
  • TV screens
  • Domestic window glass
  • Vehicle glass
  • Crockery, vases or decorations of any kind

Paper and cardboard packaging waste container:

Paper accounts for 40% of all waste sent to landfill.

How should it be discarded? What should you know before disposing of paper packaging?

  • Paper must be dry
  • Staples do not need to be removed
  • Adhesive tape may be left on
  • Flatten boxes

Put in

  • Paper shopping bags
  • Paper and cardboard boxes of all kinds
  • Paper and cardboard food packaging
  • Paper packaging materials, such as envelopes without a plastic layer and wrapping paper
  • Paper packaging fillers
  • Other paper and cardboard packaging waste

Do not put in

Put in the general waste container:

  • Nappies
  • Wet wipes and disposable wipes
  • Toilet paper
  • Paper towels
  • Paper packaging with food residue
  • Wallpaper
  • Ring binders with metal parts
  • Paper contaminated with oil or paint

Plastic and metal packaging waste container:

Plastic, metal, composite and all other packaging that is unsuitable for paper or glass packaging containers belongs here.

How should it be discarded? What should you know before disposing of plastic packaging?

  • Remove food residue and empty any liquids
  • Packaging does not need to be washed, but it must not contain food residue
  • Put the caps back on bottles
  • Plastic packaging is often marked PET, HDPE, LDPE or PP
  • Electrical equipment can be taken to collection points
  • Ask your regional bulky waste collection site whether it accepts medical waste

Put in

Plastic packaging:

  • All food packaging
  • Drinks bottles
  • Oil bottles
  • Cosmetic and personal care product packaging
  • Household cleaning product packaging
  • Takeaway food packaging
  • Bags

Composite packaging:

  • Milk and juice cartons (Tetra Pak, Elopak)
  • Sweet wrappers, crisp packets and similar packaging
  • Takeaway drink cups
  • Takeaway food packaging

Metal packaging:

  • Metal lids from jars and bottles
  • Drinks and food cans
  • Coffee tins

Other packaging:

  • Ceramic packaging
  • Textile packaging
  • Rubber packaging

Do not put in

Take to a bulky waste collection site:

  • Oil containers
  • Paint containers
  • Coolant packaging
  • Small and large electrical equipment
  • Containers for harmful or hazardous substances

Put in the general waste container:

  • Toothbrushes, razors and personal hygiene items
  • Plastic objects of any kind, such as buckets, spatulas, baby bottles, storage boxes and watering cans
  • Toys, such as building sets, buckets, dolls, toy cars and modelling clay
  • Stationery, such as pens, felt-tip pens and ring binders
  • Medical waste and syringes, securely packaged separately beforehand

Return to a pharmacy:

  • Medicines
Hazardous

Hazardous waste

Some waste is hazardous and must not be put in recycling or general waste containers. The chemicals it contains can pollute the environment, soil and groundwater, harming both the environment and human health.

All of the following waste can be taken to bulky waste collection sites:

  • Household chemical products
  • Waste varnish, paint and solvents
  • Packaging contaminated with chemicals
  • Construction and renovation waste
  • Tyres
  • Used oil
  • Oil filters and other petroleum-product waste
  • Bulky furniture

What happens to it?

Almost half of hazardous household waste enters the municipal waste stream. If hazardous waste is not collected separately, it cannot be managed safely and it contaminates other waste. Correctly sorted waste is recycled or used to generate energy. For example, collected used tyres are sent for recycling. Special equipment separates the rubber, metal and textiles. The textiles are used to generate energy, the metal is recycled, and granules made from the ground rubber are used to manufacture new products. Recycled tyre rubber is used to surface sports grounds and playgrounds and to make parking bollards and other products.

What should you do with:

Where should metal jar lids and glass bottle caps go?
What if a cosmetic package still contains some product, such as mascara, expired powder, cream or toothpaste?
If packaging is made of both plastic and glass, such as a serum pipette, can it be recycled? If so, which container should it go in?
What does plastic-coated paper look like, and how should it be sorted?
Where should CDs and cassette tapes go?
Where should adhesive tape go?
Are egg cartons contaminated waste? How should they be sorted?
Where should drawings coloured with felt-tip pens, pencils, watercolours or gouache go?
Can artificial flowers go in the plastic packaging container?
Can cigarette ends be recycled?
Is packaging that contained cosmetic products, such as cream tubes, jars and face-mask sachets, contaminated? Can it be recycled?
Can medicine packaging that contained tablets be recycled?
Must packaging be completely dry before it is put in a recycling container, or can it be damp?
Can several pieces of plastic or paper waste be placed in a plastic or paper bag and put in the container together, or should every item be put in separately?
Where should a padded envelope go? What about an envelope with a plastic window?
How should expanded polystyrene be sorted?
Can felt-tip pens and coloured pencils be recycled?
Where should paper and plastic ring binders with metal parts go?
Where should used cemetery candles go?

Office sorting guide (LT)

More about Žaliasis taškas

23

Louvre pyramids

The glass collected for recycling in Lithuania this year could be used to build 23 Louvre pyramids.

78

years

It would take one person 78 years to say the word bottle aloud as many times as bottles were returned through Lithuania's deposit-return system in four years.

5

basketball team members

If the entire Lithuanian population were a basketball team, 5 team members and the coach would sort their waste while everyone else sat on the bench.

9

out of 10

In 2019, 9 out of 10 single-use drinks containers placed on the market were returned through Lithuania's deposit-return system.

158

thousand

Schools participating in the competition sorted 158,000 kg of waste.

Vilnius office

  • +370 670 00956
  • biuras@ztl.lt
  • Perkūnkiemio g. 2, LT-12126, Vilnius

Kaunas office

  • +370 670 00956
  • biuras@ztl.lt
  • Savanorių pr. 273, LT-50131 Kaunas
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