Daily life
The recycling system in the capital region, Helsinki, is easy to use. There is a lot of information in Finnish, Swedish and English (and here one can find some statistics). The system is different to that in England and Sweden where I lived previously. I try to practise zero waste whenever possible, but it is not always possible. Some waste inevitably is generated, and in this case it is good to understand how I can take part in recycling. Because there are so many categories of waste, sorting waste takes time even when it becomes somewhat of a habit. It's a good time for me to contemplate where most of the waste is coming from. For example, I "throw away" paper packaging more often and biowaste rarely because I try to avoid food waste.
There is also some plastic waste which relates to my previous entry on imperfection. In the photo above one can see Finnish lettuce. It comes without a plastic pot, but it still comes in plastic. Moreover, growing produce in cold Nordic countries in winter uses much energy. The tomatoes in the photo came in cardboard packaging with some plastic. The apple was unpackaged, but it's not Finnish. Interestingly, Finnish apples in my local supermarket cost twice as much as conventional varieties. The little plastic box, the bowl and the plate in the photo were given to me by a friend. The kitchen towel I brought with me from Sweden. In the photo there is also a piece of chocolate wrapped in foil. Originally it was also wrapped in paper. Though such packaging is easily recyclable, this chocolate bar is of course not local, neither in terms of its ingredients nor in terms of where it was produced. One can find chocolate produced in Finland and Sweden, but the ingredients still come from far away.
The plastic blinds in the photo above came with the apartment. Personally, I would not have chosen blinds for these windows facing North-East. In the temporary apartment where I stayed, the blinds were made from wood. This side of the building does not receive much light, only some gentle sunlight in the morning. I decided not to have any ceiling lights in this apartment. In the daytime, there is enough light even in March, while in the evening the light from the kitchen lights up half of this studio apartment which is enough for reading. More generally, I try to avoid using electricity and artificial light as much as possible to save some energy (which comes from a mix of sources). Using less electricity and not having curtains allows me to live more closely with nature and its rhythms, to wake up with the sun and enjoy less light in the evening.