Sorting waste requires no expensive equipment and no complicated gestures. It mainly requires a habit: a well-sorted item still has value, a mixed item goes to landfill.
Start with four categories
- Cardboard and paper — fold them flat, they take ten times less room.
- Plastic and bottles — rinse, empty, crush.
- Metals — tin cans, aluminium, old utensils: this is the most valuable fraction.
- Organic — peelings and leftovers. With a small yard, a basic composter is enough.
Glass is kept aside when possible, but never let a glass bin discourage you: four fractions done properly beat seven bins abandoned after a week.
Where to drop it off in Algeria
The most accessible collection points remain municipal skip sites, scrap dealers and neighbourhood associations. On the disposal section of this site, individuals and collectors also publish their needs and availability: it is often the closest solution, in your own commune.
Three mistakes that undo the sorting
- Throwing away something still usable: move it to free, it will be taken within hours.
- Not rinsing: a contaminated bin makes the whole load unsellable.
- Sorting without knowing where to drop off: visit a collection point first, otherwise the pile grows in the hallway and sorting is abandoned.
One last tip: write down what you throw away for a week. Most households find that a third of their bin goes straight to disposal for no reason.