Waste Management in Sweden. a National Report

Abstract

In 1975 the Swedish Government passed a bill "Recovery and Management of Waste" which resulted in State support for up to 50% of the capital cost of plants for the recovery or other utilization of domestic waste. Between 15 and 20 new plants for waste separation and composting were built between 1972 and 1982. More than 50% of domestic waste paper is recovered and sold to paper mills. Approximately 10% of total domestic waste is separated and composted. The remainder is nearly equally distributed between landfills and incinerators. About 93% of the recoverable energy from incineration is used for district heating. This represents only 5% of the total heating requirement for the country although in some regions the heat from waste is nearly a quarter of the total. The start-up problems of separation and composting plants using new and untested technology have been largely solved. However the market for the separated residues, iron, paper, plastic, compost and refuse derived fuel, has not been developed. Refuse derived fuel has not proved suitable for use with other solid fuels. Compost has too high a content of glass and plastic to suit customs. A special operational study of Solid Waste Treatment has been organized to evaluate different treatments and recommend improvements.