Noise
You can use the leaf blower for clearing leaves a few hours at a time during daytime in autumn and spring. If you are using a leaf blower during the night, between 22.00 and 7.00, this may count as a disturbance of the peace that may result in a fine.
The outward facing sound systems of stores and restaurants must always be adjusted to ensure that the noise does not disturb the neighbours.
You do not need a permit from authorities for playing street music in Helsinki. However, you are not allowed to disturb the neighbourhood with your music, and amplifying the sound electronically by using an external power source is prohibited.
Read more about using sound systems from the environmental protection regulations.
Air quality
You can have a major impact on the emissions from your fireplace or sauna heater. Using properly stocked dry and clean wood along with good ignition and burning technique will significantly help reduce the emissions caused by wood burning. Disposing of waste (including tree branches and logging residues) by burning it is prohibited.
Gritting sand must be removed while it’s wet, so moisten it if necessary. The use of leaf blowers for the purpose of removing gritting sand is prohibited.
Traffic is a significant source of air impurities in Helsinki. For your part, you can help reduce traffic emissions by favouring walking, cycling or public transport. When driving, you can reduce emissions by choosing a low-emission car and using snow tyres instead of studded tyres.
Emissions into soil or aquatic systems
Aim to wash your car in washing stations built for this purpose; from these, the wastewater is conducted through sand and oil separators to a sewer.
Read more about washing vehicles and machinery from the environmental protection regulations.
Boats should be washed by only using water, because in most winter storage areas the water is absorbed into the soil or discharged into the sea. When using detergents with solvents, the boats must be washed in a designated washing station where wastewater is led to the sewer through an oil separator. While in water, boats cannot be washed with anything else than water.
Read more about washing and maintaining boats from the environmental protection regulations.
Waste and littering
Sort your waste correctly and take them to their designated containers at the waste collection point of your residential area. If the waste does not have a collection container in your residential building (such as textiles, furniture or hazardous waste), you can take these to the reception units meant for these types of waste. Larger batches of waste are received at Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority’s (HSY) Sortti stations, for example, who you can also contact to order a transport service for large furniture or household appliances.
Reduce the amount of waste by offering any usable items first for recycling, such as the reuse centre or the Finnish Red Cross’s Kontti service.
HSY will provide you with more advice on how to sort and handle waste. For more information on sorting hazardous waste and its reception units, please visit the HSY and kierrätys.info recycling information websites.
Go to the HSY customer service website.(Link leads to external service)
Go to the HSY hazardous waste website. (Link leads to external service)
Clean and inspect an oil tank removed from use
When you switch your heating method away from oil heating, the oil, fuel or other chemical tank in the ground must be decommissioned. Order this work from an inspection company approved by the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes). The inspection company will empty out, clean and inspect the tank and compile an inspection record. Send the inspection record by email to the Environmental Services at kymp.ymparistovalvonta@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program) .