How to dimension environmental houses and bin enclosures based on the number of households

The Basic Formula

Start from the number of households, amount of waste per household and week, and collection interval. A 370-liter bin is normally sufficient for residual waste for approximately 10–15 households with weekly collection – but packaging fractions are bulky and require more volume.

Calculation Example

• 20 households: 2 bins for residual waste, 2 food waste, 2 paper, 2 plastic, 1 metal, 1+1 glass. Space requirement approximately 10–14 sqm or two to three kärlskåp.
• 50 households: roughly double the number of bins and a miljöhus of 20–30 sqm.
• 100 households: miljöhus of 35–50 sqm, preferably supplemented with kärlskåp at the entrances.

Factors That Change the Calculation

Bi-weekly collection doubles the volume requirement. Student housing and new developments often have a higher proportion of packaging. Also plan for bulky waste, e-waste, and batteries.

Leave a Margin

Build for at least 20 % extra volume. The degree of sorting increases once the solution is in place – and new fractions may be added, see guiden om lagkraven.

Send the number of households and collection interval to us and we will calculate the correct size.