Renovation fees for households and cottages, cabins and holiday homes for 2025 were approved at the municipal council meeting in Vennesla on December 12 and the city council meeting in Kristiansand, December 18, 2024.
Avfall Sør increases the renovation fee in 2025
We have to increase the renovation fee to meet new and stricter requirements. The main reason is residual waste. The increasing state CO₂ tax on the incineration of residual waste and stricter rules for material recycling constitute an increasingly large part of our costs. The renovation fee is intended to cover these expenses.
In addition, much of the residual waste is incorrectly sorted. More than half contains resources that could have been recycled into new products.
That’s why residual waste gets the biggest fee increase. If you throw away a lot, you have to pay more. We believe that’s more fair for everyone. By sorting better and emptying the residual waste bin less often, you can influence how much you pay in renovation fees.
In short:
- The renovation fee is intended to cover the actual costs that Avfall Sør has to collect, transport and process your waste. In recent years, these costs have risen considerably. Therefore, the fee increase is absolutely necessary.
- The increased costs are due to the fact that the state CO2 tax on the incineration of residual waste has tripled. Insurance premiums have increased tenfold due to fires and explosions in the waste industry. In addition, there are increasingly strict national requirements for waste management and increased recycling of materials.
- The change of fees is intended to encourage more reuse, better sorting and less frequent emptying of the residual waste bin. This will help ensure that less waste is sent to incineration and more is sent to material recycling. Only then can your waste be turned into new products – again and again.
- Avfall Sør is therefore imposing the largest price increase on residual waste. To take an example: For a standard residual waste bin, the fee increases from NOK 46 to NOK 100 per emptying. How much you pay in renovation fees will depend to a much greater extent on how often your residual waste bin is emptied during the year. If you throw away a lot, you have to pay more. We believe that more fair for everyone.
- The positive thing is that you can influence how much you pay in fees. The answer is that it always pays to separate at source. By throwing away less residual waste, you help to keep our costs, and your renovation fee, as low as possible.
What are the new fee rates?
In the overview below you will find Avfall Sør’s fixed and variable fee rates for 2025.
All prices include VAT.
FEE RATES IN 2025:
Increases by 5%. Includes 13 collections of plastic packaging (bags) and 6-7 emptyings of glass and metal packaging. Rolls with bio bags for food waste and plastic sacks when needed, as well as delivery of sorted waste at our recycling stations are also included. Annual cost is calculated based on the number of residential units on your property:
- Subscription for private residence increases from NOK 2053.80 to NOK 2156.49 per year
- Separate subscription for dormitory increases from NOK 1146.09 to NOK 1203.39 per year
- Joint subscription for housing cooperatives/condominiums increases from NOK 2053.80 to NOK 2156.49 per year
Remains unchanged. Includes 13 emptyings of paper and cardboard. Annual cost depends on size/number of bins:
- 120/140 liter bin (standard): NOK 476.79 per year
- 240 liter bin: NOK 556.35 per year
- 660 liter bin: NOK 1529.39 per year
- 1000 liter bin: NOK 2176.28 per year
Remains unchanged. Includes 12 mandatory emptyings of biowaste. Annual cost depends on size/number of bins:
- 120/140 liter bin (standard): NOK 455.16 per year
- 240 liter bin: NOK 927 per year
Remains unchanged. Depends on size/number of bins and and how often your biowaste bin is emptied. 12 mandatory emptyings are included in the fixed fee. In addition to this, you pay:
- 120/140 liter bin (standard): NOK 37.93 per emptying
- 240 liter bin: NOK 77.25 per emptying
Increases by 120%. Depends on size/number of bins and how often your residual waste bin is emptied:
- 120/140 liter bin (standard) increases from NOK 45.49 to NOK 100.08 per emptying
- 240 liter bin increases from NOK 77.96 to NOK 171.51 per emptying
- 660 liter bin increases from NOK 209.29 to NOK 460.44 per emptying
- 1000 liter bin increases from NOK 265.54 to NOK 584.41 per emptying
Fixed annual fee increases by 10%. Includes sorting of paper/cardboard, biowaste, residual waste, plastic packaging and glass/metal packaging – regardless of the number of waste deposits. Rolls of bio bags if needed, as well as delivery of sorted waste to our recycling stations are also included. Annual cost is calculated based on the number of residential units on your property:
- Subscription for a private residence increases from NOK 4,396 to NOK 4,835.60 per year. This means that you pay NOK 36 more per month.
- Separate subscription for a dormitory increases from NOK 1146.09 to NOK 1260.70 per year. This means that you pay NOK 9 more per month.
For Posebyen, separate fee rates apply. The fixed annual fee and variable fee per residual waste collection increase by 10%. The fixed annual fee is calculated based on the number of residential units on your property.
- Subscription for a private residence increases from NOK 3454.08 to NOK 3799.49 per year.
- Separate subscription for dormitory increases from NOK 2471.84 to NOK 2719.02 per year.
The fixed fee includes unlimited deposits of paper/cardboard, biowaste, plastic packaging and glass/metal packaging. 13 residual waste deposits per quarter are also included. In addition to this, you pay a variable fee:
- Additional residual waste deposits per quarter (beyond the 13 included in the fixed fee) increase from NOK 9.34 to NOK 10.27 per deposit.
Rolls of bio bags if needed, as well as delivery of sorted waste at our recycling stations, are also included in the fixed fee.
Fixed annual fee for cottages, cabins and holiday homes increases by 10%. Includes delivery of sorted household waste to renovation points in Kristiansand and Vennesla, as well as delivery of sorted waste at our recycling stations.
- Cottage, cabin and holiday home renovation increases from NOK 1681.88 to NOK 1850.07 per year. This means you pay NOK 14 more per month.

NEW! Use our renovation fee calculator
If you have your own waste bins, you can use our new renovation fee calculator (only available in Norwegian) to calculate how much you pay in annual renovation fees. See how you can influence how much you pay in fees by emptying your bins for residual waste and biowaste less often.
- Please state the number and size of your bins for paper/cardboard, biowaste and residual waste. Standard bin is 120/140 liters. Large bin is 240 liters.
- Estimate how many emptyings of biowaste and residual waste bins you need during the year.
NOTE! The calculator does not apply to households with joint waste bins (housing associations, condominiums, etc.), underground waste containers, shared waste bins or cottage/holiday homes. If you have a dormitory, or have entered into an agreement for home composting instead of a bin for biowaste, you can tick this option.
What is the reason for the increase?
The two main reasons for the renovation fee increase:
Increased costs
Renovation is run at self-cost (only available in Norwegian). This means that Avfall Sør’s income from the renovation fee should not exceed its costs over time. The renovation fee you pay should cover the actual costs we incur to collect, transport and process your waste.
These costs have risen considerably in recent years, and the renovation fee must therefore be increased.
- The state CO2 tax as tripled in the past year, and is expected to increase gradually towards 2030. Incineration of residual waste from households in Kristiansand and Vennesla constitutes a significant part of Avfall Sør’s treatment costs.
- Insurance premiums in the waste industry have increased tenfold in recent years, partly due to a number of fires and explosions. This has not only led to increased insurance costs, but also to extensive investments in fire protection measures. Incorrectly sorted batteries and gas containers are among the most common causes of these fires.
- Increased operating costs in general, such as interest and transportation expenses.
Stricter requirements
Through the EEA Agreement, Norwegian authorities have committed us to specific material recycling targets, including the sorting of food waste and plastic waste. The legal requirements are to ensure that more household waste is sorted and materials are recycled.
For Avfall Sør, this entails specific goals:
- By 2025, 55% of household waste will be sent for material recycling to create new products or materials.
- By 2035, this figure will increase to 65%.
In addition, Avfall Sør’s owner municipalities, Kristiansand and Vennesla, have decided to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 55% by 2030. The energy recovery plant Returkraft is one of the largest sources of CO2 emissions in Kristiansand.
In order for the owner municipalities and Avfall Sør to achieve these goals, it is absolutely necessary that more residents sort correctly and throw away less residual waste.
Why the larger fee increase for residual waste?
Residual waste is expensive
Residual waste is expensive for us to incinerate, and therefore more expensive for you to dispose of. 9 out of 10 households have waste bins at home. The new renovation fee rates are intended to motivate better sorting and less frequent emptying of the residual waste bin. Then those who are good at sorting will pay less than those who have a lot of residual waste. This is in line with the polluter pays principle(only available in Norwegian). We believe it is fairest for everyone.
Residual waste is incorrectly sorted
More than half of what ends up in the residual waste bin is incorrectly sorted. Avfall Sør’s sorting surveys (only available in Norwegian) show that over 50% is recyclable waste that should have been sorted out. Material recycling reduces the need for the extraction of new raw materials, and helps waste become new products – again and again.
Important resources are burned instead of being recycled
- 33% biowaste that could have been turned into nutritious compost and soil products.
- 16% of plastic packaging that could have been turned into new products made from recycled plastic.
- 9% of paper and cardboard that could have been turned into new products and packaging made from recycled paper, cardboard or paperboard.
- 10% other waste that could have been recycled into new products. This includes 5% glass and metal packaging, 4% textiles and 1% hazardous waste and electrical equipment.
The illustrations show the weight content of a residual waste bin.
How can you influence your renovation fee?
It pays off to sort your waste correctly
Avfall Sør’s fee model is that those who manage to empty their residual waste bins less often will receive a smaller increase in their renovation fee. Those who have to empty their residual waste bins more frequently will receive a larger fee increase. Below are examples of how much you pay in renovation fees, depending on how often you need to empty your residual waste bins during the year.
Residual waste every four weeks = NOK 4617 in renovation fee
If your residual waste bin is emptied 13 times a year, the waste disposal fee will increase by 22%. From NOK 3805 to NOK 4617 per year. This means that you pay NOK 68 more per month. The variable fee for residual waste accounts for NOK 1301 of the total. The example is based on the most common subscription for our household customers. This includes a private residence with standard waste bins and emptying the bio waste bin 18 times a year.
Residual waste every two weeks = NOK 5918 in renovation fee
If your residual waste bin is emptied 26 times a year, the waste disposal fee will increase by 35%. From NOK 4396 to NOK 5918 per year. This means that you pay NOK 127 more per month. The variable fee for residual waste accounts for NOK 2602 of the total. The example is based on the most common subscription for our household customers. This includes a private residence with standard waste bins and emptying the bio waste bin 18 times a year.
Residual waste each week = NOK 8520 in renovation fee
If your residual waste bin is emptied 52 times a year, the waste disposal fee will increase by 53%. From NOK 5,579 to NOK 8,520 per year. This means that you pay NOK 245 more per month. The variable fee for residual waste accounts for NOK 5,204 of the total. The example is based on the most common subscription for our household customers. This includes a private residence with standard waste bins and emptying the bio-waste bin 18 times a year.
Frequently asked questions
We understand that it may feel unfair. An increase in the renovation fee is necessary for everyone. The reason for this is that the actual costs we have to collect, transport and process your waste have risen considerably in recent years. The positive thing is that by sorting and throwing away small amounts of residual waste, you will receive a lower fee increase than those who sort poorly and throw away a lot of residual waste. The alternative to this fee model would have been for everyone to receive the same increase in the renovation fee, regardless of whether they are good at sorting or not. We believe that this is unfair. It should be worthwhile to sort your waste.
It is true that the increase in the fee for emptying the residual waste bin is higher than the total increased costs (including the state CO₂ tax) of incinerating residual waste. The reason for this is that the Pollution Control Act encourages municipalities and waste management companies to create systems that provide financial rewards to those who reduce waste and separate waste at source more. This means that some services may receive lower prices, while others receive higher prices, as long as the fees cover all the costs of waste disposal.
It is important to clarify that neither Avfall Sør nor Returkraft can make money from handling household waste. This is called self-cost (only available in Norwegian)
It is true that Avfall Sør Holding AS owns 49.9 percent of the shares in Returkraft AS. The other owners are five other waste management companies in Southern Norway. Even though Avfall Sør is the largest owner, payment for waste treatment must still be made based on actual costs (including the state CO₂ tax). Both Avfall Sør and Returkraft must follow the self-cost principle (only available in Norwegian). This means that the fees for handling household waste should not be higher than the actual costs. This ensures that the fees are fair and that no profit is taken from the owners. Residents should only pay for what the service costs – no more, no less.
No, you can still put out bins for biowaste and residual waste every week. But it will quickly become very expensive as you pay a variable fee per emptying. Avfall Sør’s plans to introduce less frequent emptying of biowaste and residual waste with effect from the latter part of 2026. Most likely, it will then be possible to empty these bins every 2 weeks, but with an call for action to empty every 4 weeks or less often. The final decision on the proposal in the Waste Plan 2025-2028 will be made by the municipal councils of Vennesla and Kristiansand in 2025.
The main reason is that 9 out of 10 households in Kristiansand and Vennesla have their own waste bin solution. Each bin has its own data chip to register each emptying. This makes it possible to have a fee model where you have to pay for the number of emptyings of biowaste and residual waste respectively. More about prices and fees here.
The other households are connected to a common solution with underground containers. As of now, the number of deposits are not recorded. However, a pilot project has been initiated in Posebyen in Kristiansand where you pay a variable fee per deposit of residual waste. More about the Posebyen project here (only available in Norwegian).
As of now, the number of disposals for households associated with underground containers is not registered. Therefore, they pay a fixed annual fee – regardless of the number of deposits. This also means that they do not have the opportunity to influence their renovation fee by better waste sorting. Avfall Sør is working to ensure that in the long term there will be a fee for residual waste, regardless of housing type and waste solution. We have initiated a pilot project in Posebyen in Kristiansand where a variable fee is paid per deposit of residual waste. In this way, we will get an answer to whether such a fee model affects sorting. More about the Posebyen project here (only available in Norwegian).
The fee model for housing associations and condominiums with shared waste bins is the same as for households with their own bins. This means that you pay a fixed annual fee for each housing unit, and a variable fee for each emptying of residual waste and bio waste (in addition to the 12 mandatory emptyings per year). The price per emptying depends on the size of the bins. The more bins and the more emptyings you have, the higher the total renovation fee that you pay for collectively. The solution to keeping the fee lower is to ensure that everyone sorts their waste, and that the number of emptyings of residual waste is reduced. More about prices and fees here.
Renovation in Vennesla and Kristiansand will be run at self-cost (only available in Norwegian). This means that residents pay for what the service actually costs. Over the past 10 years, the renovation fee has remained unchanged for customers of Avfall Sør, helped by stable conditions, good management and a positive self-cost fund.
The rules in the regulation state that municipalities should not have a high fund level over time. The fees were thus increased less than the price increase to use up the self-cost fund. When the fund is empty, the fees must be increased to cover the costs that Avfall Sør has to collect, transport and process your waste. This is the reason why the renovation fee increased in 2024 and 2025.
The positive self-cost fund arose due to favorable market conditions in previous years and internal measures that have reduced costs or increased income. For example, good sales agreements (sale of recyclable waste), low interest rates and operational optimization. Several of the favorable conditions occurred at the beginning of the last 10-year period. This built up the self-cost fund and reduced the need for fee increases in the latter half of the 10-year period. At the same time, costs generally increased each year without the fees being able to be increased correspondingly, especially in the last 5 years (due to the positive fund). This means that when the fees are now increasing, several years of cost increases are being made up. In addition, recent years have been characterized by extra high inflation, high interest rates and rising CO₂ taxes.
The first invoice from Avfall Sør containing the new variable fee rates for emptying residual waste will be sent out in the second term. That is, in May 2025, with a due date of June 20. This invoice contains your emptyings in the period 01.01-31.03.2025. More about the invoice from Avfall Sør here (only available in Norwegian).
You can log in to Avfall Sør’s customer portal Min side (only available in Norwegian). Here, select a property and find the overview “Vis tømmehistorikk”. You will see an overview of all your registered emptyings of the bins for biowaste, residual waste, glass and metal packaging, paper/ cardboard and plastic packaging.
If you live in Kristiansand, you can access Kristiansand Municipality’s customer portal Min side.
If you live in Vennesla, you can access Vennesla municipality’s customer portal Min side.
Here you will find invoices from Avfall Sør for four terms in 2024 and a description of what you paid for.
We understand that it may seem unfair that some households have 120-liter bins, while others have 140-liter bins as standard at Avfall Sør. When the first bins were introduced around 1990, the national standard for waste bins in Norway was 120 liters. We would like to clarify that the standard bin size for Avfall Sør’s household customers is still 120 liters.
The reason why some people have 140-liter bins is that can suppliers have increased to 140 liters as the new standard, among other things with regard to increasing waste volumes and new HSE requirements for renovators (health, safety and environment). From 2024, Avfall Sør is starting to replace older waste bins with outdated computer chips. The replacement will take several years. The new waste bins are 140 liters, and in the long term this will be the new standard bin size for households in Kristiansand and Vennesla. More about the replacement of older bins here (only available in Norwegian).
We understand that the residual waste bin fills up faster when you have a baby in diapers, and that less frequent emptying is a challenge for some people. The Norwegian Environment Agency’s guide to calculating municipal waste fees (only available in Norwegian) does not give Avfall Sør the opportunity to exempt or reduce the waste fee based on social considerations. Neither on a general basis nor for larger groups. The fee model for waste bins is therefore not adapted to individual needs. Families with diapers, or those who for other reasons have a lot of residual waste, must therefore pay for the waste they throw away.
Avfall Sør offers a subsidy scheme for a starter pack of cloth diapers for new parents who want to help reduce waste. More about subsidies for the purchase of cloth diapers here (only available in Norwegian).
We understand that the residual waste bin fills up faster when you have special medical needs, and that less frequent emptying is a challenge for some people. The Environmental Agency’s guide for calculating municipal waste fees (only available in Norwegian) does not give Avfall Sør the opportunity to exempt or reduce the renovation fee based on social considerations. Neither on a general basis nor for larger groups. The fee model for waste bins is therefore not adapted to individual needs. Those with special medical needs, or who for other reasons have a lot of residual waste, must therefore pay for the waste they throw away.
It should be possible to avoid both littering and pest problems even if the residual waste bin is left out for many weeks. To prevent litter from spreading and pests from getting in, you can do the following:
- Make sure the lids are always completely closed. Our bins are rat-proof. Birds, rats and other pests can only get to your waste if the lid is open.
- Sort your waste. Avfall Sør’s sorting survey (only available in Norwegian) shows that the three waste types that are most often incorrectly sorted among household residual waste are biowaste, plastic packaging and paper/cardboard. If you sort these waste types into other bins and bags for plastic packaging, you save a lot of volume in the residual waste bin.
- Do not throw food waste in the residual waste bin. Our sorting survey (only available in Norwegian) of residual waste from households shows that 33 percent is biowaste that we need to remove from the residual waste.
- Use our recycling stations. Waste that, due to its size or shape, cannot fit in a regular waste bin should be delivered to a recycling station.
- Switch to a larger bin. If you need a larger residual waste bin, you can order this. Contact our customer service and we will arrange a replacement. More about waste bins and sizes here (only available in Norwegian).
- Reduce consumption and think about recycling. By consuming less and buying/selling used, you reduce the use of raw materials, create less waste and contribute to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Get green tips here (only available in Norwegian).
Warm days speed up bacterial production and provide better living conditions for small insects. Here are some tips and advice to avoid odors from residual waste and biowaste:
- Keep your food waste as moisture-free as possible. Place paper towels/newspaper in the bottom of the bio bag. Wrap damp food waste in newspaper. The food waste basket/bucket should have a ventilated lid or be left without a lid.
- Freeze shrimp shells and fish waste in bio bags, and place it in the biowaste bin the night before the garbage is emptied.
- Tie the bio bag before placing it in the bio waste bin.
- Place paper towels/newspaper in the bottom of the bin.
- Place garden waste on top of food waste.
- Rinse the inside of the bins after emptying. If necessary, you can fill the bin halfway with water and add a little ammonia. Leave for 30 minutes and then rinse the bin. Remember to let the bins dry thoroughly after washing.
- Place the bins so that they are protected from the sun.
Garbage should not be thrown into the environment or burned. If you want to get rid of waste, you should use Avfall Sør’s waste bins, underground containers or recycling stations. If you need large bags/sacks or containers to transport larger quantities of household waste, you can contact private waste companies. See examples here (only available in Norwegian).
It is not permitted to dispose of or store waste in a way that causes damage or inconvenience to the environment, or is unsightly (See Pollution Control Act Section 28 (only available in Norwegian).
The ban therefore applies if the waste poses a risk of pollution or direct physical harm. Examples of the latter are broken glass and tin cans that animals or people can injure themselves on. The ban also applies if the littering affects the surroundings for aesthetic reasons. Waste must also be stored in such a way that it does not attract pests (pest regulations (only available in Norwegian) or that unhygienic conditions arise that can lead to health problems (environmental health protection regulations (only available in Norwegian).
The provision applies not only to littering on other people’s land or public property, but also to littering on one’s own property. Municipalities can issue orders requiring the waste to be cleaned up.
No. It is not permitted to burn waste according to Section 7 of the Pollution Control Act only available in Norwegian) . Smoke from burning particularly affects the part of the population that has chronic respiratory diseases or allergy problems. For this group, the smoke gases can lead to increased breathing difficulties, acute asthma attacks or be an additional burden by intensifying allergy symptoms.
In some cases, burning waste can result in large emissions of tar substances (PAH), dioxins and heavy metals, among other things.
More information from the fire department here (only available in Norwegian).