The Blue bag: all about sorting, collecting and recycling your packaging waste

No.

This packaging is neither accepted in the Blue bag nor in the Green bag. It is made up of several layers of different materials (plastic, aluminum, etc.) which does not make it recyclable.

No.

This packaging is neither accepted in the Blue bag nor in the Green bag. It is made up of several layers of different materials (plastic, aluminum, etc.) which does not make it recyclable.

However, metal pet food trays can be put in the Valorlux Blue or Green bag.

Yes and no.

1. If you belong to one of the municipalities attached to the Valorlux Green bag or one of the municipalities attached to the extended Valorlux Blue bag, yes you can.

2. Otherwise, you cannot put them in the blue bag and in this case you have the possibility to bring your bags either to the recycling park or to a Re-Box station.

Municipalities attached to the Valorlux Green bag:

Bertrange, Betzdorf, Biwer, Echternach, Flaxweiler, Garnich, Grevenmacher, Kehlen, Koerich, Kopstal, Lenningen, Mamer, Manternach, Mertert, Remich, Rosport-Mompach, Septfontaines, Stadtbredimus, Steinfort et Wormeldange

Sorting guide - Valorlux Green bag

Municipalities attached to the extended Blue Valorlux bag:

Differdange, Mondorf-les-Bains, communes du Sidec (Beaufort, Beckerich, Bettendorf, Bissen, Boulaide, Bourscheid, Clervaux, Colmar-Berg, Diekirch, Ell, Erpeldange-sur-Sûre, Esch-sur-Sûre, Ettelbruck, Feulen, Fischbach, Goesdorf, Grosbous, Heffingen, Helperknapp, Kiischpelt, Lac de la Haute Sûre, Larochette, Lintgen, Lorentzweiler, Mersch, Mertzig, Nommern, Parc Hosingen, Preizerdaul, Putscheid, Rambrouch, Redange, Reisdorf, Saeul, Schieren, Tandel, Troisvierges, Useldange, Vallée de l’Ernz, Vianden, Vichten, Wahl, Weiswempach, Wiltz, Wincrange, Winseler)

Sorting guide - extended Valorlux Blue bag 

Currently there are three types of sorting instructions across the country depending on your municipality of residence.

1. Blue bag

For all municipalities except Schifflange and municipalities attached to the Valorlux Green bag system or the extended Valorlux Blue bag system.

Accepted packaging: plastic bottles and containers, metal packaging and beverage cartons.

Sorting guide - Valorlux Blue bag

2. Green bag

Municipalities: Bertrange, Betzdorf, Biwer, Echternach, Flaxweiler, Garnich, Grevenmacher, Kehlen, Koerich, Kopstal, Lenningen, Mamer, Manternach, Mertert, Remich, Rosport-Mompach, Septfontaines, Stadtbredimus, Steinfort et Wormeldange

Accepted packaging: plastic bottles and containers, metal packaging and beverage cartons as well as plastic films and bags

Sorting guide - Valorlux Green bag

3. Extended Blue bag 

Municipalities: Differdange, Mondorf-les-Bains, SIDEC municipalities (Beaufort, Beckerich, Bettendorf, Bissen, Boulaide, Bourscheid, Clervaux, Colmar-Berg, Diekirch, Ell, Erpeldange-sur-Sûre, Esch-sur-Sûre, Ettelbruck, Feulen, Fischbach, Goesdorf, Grosbous, Heffingen, Helperknapp, Kiischpelt, Lac de la Haute Sûre, Larochette, Lintgen, Lorentzweiler, Mersch, Mertzig, Nommern, Parc Hosingen, Preizerdaul, Putscheid, Rambrouch, Redange, Reisdorf, Saeul, Schieren, Tandel, Troisvierges, Useldange, Vallée de l’Ernz, Vianden, Vichten, Wahl, Weiswempach, Wiltz, Wincrange, Winseler)

Accepted packaging: plastic bottles and containers, metal packaging and beverage cartons as well as plastic films, bags, pots, cups and trays.

Sorting guide - extended Valorlux Blue bag

No.

However, they must be emptied of their contents. Recycling plants have processes that clean the packaging before processing it. It is therefore unnecessary to wash the packaging and especially to put it in the dishwasher.

For private individuals:

The Blue or Green bags, depending on the municipality where you live, are available free of charge from your municipality. You get bags in rolls.

For residents of the City of Luxembourg, several distribution locations are available: 

1. Hôtel de Ville, 42, Place Guillaume II, L-2090 Luxembourg

Monday-Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  and 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

2. Bierger-Center, 44, Place Guillaume II, 2, rue Notre-Dame, L-2090 Luxembourg

Monday-Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

3. Piscine du Centre « Badanstalt », 12, rue des Bains, L-1212 Luxembourg

Tuesday-Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

4. Bâtiment « Rocade de Bonnevoie », 1-3, rue du Laboratoire, L-1911 Luxembourg

Monday-Friday: 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

5. Piscine municipale de Bonnevoie, 30, rue Sigismond, L-2537 Luxembourg

Monday, Friday, Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.,  Tuesday, Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

6. Service d’Hygiène, 48, route d’Arlon, L-1140 Luxembourg

For companies:

You can order your bags online at our shop.

The bags are packed in cartons and are to be picked up at the depot in Leudelange upon presentation of the removal slip provided by Valorlux after validation of the online order.

Before applying new sorting instructions, i.e. expanding collection, via our Blue Valorlux bag, conditions must be met: on the one hand, we must ensure that the sorting technology can keep up with legal national collection and recycling rates. On the other hand, we must first receive the agreement of the Administration of the environment respectively the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development before we can expand a collection. Today, the sorting technology needed to sort more types of packaging is available in Luxembourg. We are now waiting for an agreement from the Administration of the environment for a national extension.

Yes.

Today's recycling techniques make it possible to easily separate the caps from the bottle. Each one then follows its own recycling process.
However, if you want to hand them over to associations for the recovery of plastic caps such as E Stopp fir E Mupp, which helps finance assistance dog programmes, you can collect the caps and bring them to the various collection points. www.asa-asbl.com/bouchons

Before applying new sorting instructions, i.e. expanding collection, via our Blue Valorlux bag, conditions must be met: on the one hand, we must ensure that the sorting technology can keep up with legal national collection and recycling rates. On the other hand, we must first receive the agreement of the Administration of the environment respectively the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development before we can expand a collection. Today, the sorting technology needed to sort more types of packaging is available in Luxembourg. We are now waiting for an agreement from the Administration of the environment for a national extension.

The online collection schedule helps you to find out the the next collections' dates in your municipality. You can also download the web application from our website and add the collection dates to your calendar.

The packaging collected via the Blue and Green Valorlux bags is transported to the Hein Déchets company sorting centre in Bech-Kleinmacher in Luxembourg. There, each type of packaging is separated and baled for recycling. Then, depending on the type of material, the bales are sold and transported to recycling companies in France, Belgium or Germany.

Wherever possible, Valorlux gives preference to local recycling. However, in view of the extremely limited or even non-existent number of plants capable of recycling the various fractions sorted in Luxembourg, these are recycled in neighbouring countries.

In detail:

Steel is recycled in Luxembourg 

Aluminium is recycled in Belgium 

Beverage board is recycled in France 

PET is recycled in France 

HDPE is recycled in France

More info in our annual report factsheet.

Each material put into recycling becomes a new raw material to constitute another material or object. For example, a PET bottle can become a new bottle as shown in our film "Bottle-to-bottle".

Aluminium can become new food trays. Beverage cartons can be used to make toilet paper. HDPE can be used to make pipes used in construction. Steel can be used to make cans.