Waste in Finland is imported from countries where there is a lack of capacity and specialists for its recycling.
Finland is receiving a record amount of hazardous waste from abroad. Finnish companies have seen a profitable business in their recycling.
According to the Finnish Environment Institute Syke, the import of hazardous waste into the country has more than doubled in the last ten years. In 2024, Finland processed 56,000 tons of hazardous waste brought in from other countries.
Hazardous waste can contain substances harmful to the environment and health, such as mercury, heavy metals, and dioxins. Over the past couple of years, waste has been sourced from about 20 countries. The main supplies come from EU countries, but among the shippers are Malaysia, Canada, and Australia.
Waste is imported from countries where there is a lack of capacity and specialists for its recycling. In Finland, there are facilities that do not receive a sufficient volume of domestic waste.
Last summer, Vantaan Energia launched a new waste incineration plant, where hazardous waste from Europe is planned to be imported. According to the commercial director Kalle Patomeri, the volumes of imports are still small. He also notes that there is an increasing amount of hazardous waste of local origin on the market.
Patomeri believes that stricter legislation and economic growth will increase the supply of domestic waste and reduce the need for imports. By incinerating hazardous waste, Vantaan Energia produces heat for urban networks, which lowers heating bills and increases dividends for municipal owners.
The majority of hazardous waste coming into Finland is used mineral oil, for example, from automotive engines. The oil is processed at the STR Tecoil plant in Hamina.
According to sales manager Kari Suomela, the same oil can be recycled many times. The company turns used oil into base oil, from which new motor oil can be produced.
The second largest processor of hazardous imported waste in Finland is NG Nordic Finland, which manages assets acquired from Fortum, including a waste incineration plant in Riihimäki. NG Nordic processes industrial solvents, cleaning agents, and ash brought in from Estonia.
The furthest point from which waste is brought to Finland for processing is Australia. This concerns chlorine-containing HCB waste generated during the production of plastics and solvents.
Kari Rahkonen, the director of industrial waste management at NG Nordic Finland, notes that incinerating hazardous waste requires knowledge in various fields.
Cobalt is Extracted from Waste Imported from Malaysia in Kokkola
Jervois Finland from Kokkola has processed hundreds of tons of hazardous waste from Malaysia in recent years. According to CEO Sami Kallioinen, this involves recyclable material from which cobalt is extracted. Jervois turns cobalt into chemicals used, for example, in the battery industry.
Citing commercial confidentiality, Kallioinen does not disclose details about the imported material. He specifies that the material is in a closed loop and comes directly from the client's factory.
According to Syke, this concerns catalysts for the chemical industry.
Information on Waste Properties is Not Always Fully Disclosed
Recycling hazardous waste requires special knowledge, in which Finnish companies have an advantage. Although some companies do not disclose all information about the properties of imported waste, they assure that their activities are safe.
For example, in 2024–2025, NG Nordic imported about 12 tons of hazardous waste from Canada.
Citing the confidentiality of cooperation, NG Nordic does not disclose details about the nature of this waste. It is noted that they are not considered particularly hazardous, and the import is experimental in nature.
According to company representatives, due to NG Nordic's high competence, importing even small batches of waste from Canada makes sense.
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