The aim of this study was to determine the composition and the combustion properties of the source separated municipal solid waste in the South Karelia region. The moisture content, the ash content and the net caloric value as received were defined as the com-bustion properties. The purpose was also to find solutions to decrease landfilling. The results were compared to other waste composition and combustion property studies in Finland.

The result of the waste sampling study was that the separate collection of waste needs improvement. 51 wt% of waste was biodegradable of which 24 wt% was biowaste. In addition, 21 wt% of landfill waste consisted of recyclable waste. The combustion prop-erties of the source separated municipal solid waste were as follows: the moisture con-tent was 29 %, the net caloric value as received was 15 MJ/kg and the ash content of dry matter was 16 %. The results of the study were in line with those of previous studies.

Providing information and guidance are key procedures in decreasing landfilling. With these procedures it is possible to reduce the amount of biodegradable and recyclable waste in source separated municipal solid waste. In addition, it is possible to decrease the amount of recyclable waste by placing recycling points strategically and increasing their number. Landfilling can also be reduced with the incineration of non-recyclable waste. There were a lot of combustible materials in the municipal solid waste. 92 wt% of the waste was suitable for mass-fired incineration and 47 wt% was qualified as ener-gy waste. From these 13 wt% was recyclable waste, which should be directed to recycling.