At a time when India's garbage woes is worrying environmentalist, Sweden has finally reached at point that it has no more waste to recycle, all thanks to its immensely successful recycling program.
Setting an example for many countries around the world, Sweden has to now 'import' trash in order to keep the recycling plants in running condition. As per 2015, less than 1 per cent of household trash was available for sending to the landfill.
More than half of Sweden's electricity is generated from renewables. Sweden recycles half of its household trash & rest becomes energy through an incineration process called waste-to-energy.
The country has mastered the technique so effectively that they now import tons of garbage to ensure they meet their energy needs.
Sweden, which sources almost half its electricity from renewables, was one of the first countries to implement a heavy tax on fossil fuels in 1991.
"Swedish people are quite keen on being out in nature and they are aware of what we need do on nature and environmental issues. We worked on communications for a long time to make people aware not to throw things outdoors so that we can recycle and reuse," said Anna-Carin Gripwall, director of communications for Avfall Sverige, the Swedish Waste Managements recycling association.
Sweden has implemented a cohesive national recycling policy so that even though private companies undertake most of the business of importing and burning waste, the energy goes into a national heating network to heat homes through the extremely cold winter.
"Thats a key reason that we have this district network, so we can make use of the heating from the waste plants. In the southern part of Europe they dont make use of the heating from the waste, it just goes out the chimney. Here we use it as a substitute for fossil fuel," Gripwell was quoted as saying by the Independent.
She termed Swedens policy of importing waste to recycle from other countries like the UK as a temporary situation.
"Theres a ban on landfill in European Union countries, so instead of paying the fine they send it to us as a service. They should and will build their own plants, to reduce their own waste, as we are working hard to do in Sweden," Gripwall said.
"Hopefully there will be less waste and the waste that has to go to incineration should be incinerated in each country. But to use recycling for heating you have to have district heating or cooling systems, so you have to build the infrastructure for that, and that takes time," she added.
Swedish municipalities are investing in futuristic waste collection techniques, like automated vacuum systems in residential blocks, removing the need for collection transport, and underground container systems that free up road space and get rid of any smells, the report said.
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