Upload
others
View
6
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
SwediSh waSte ManageMent
PReFaCe 3
how SwediSh waSte ManageMent woRkS 4
ColleCtion and tRanSPoRt 6
waSte quantitieS 2008 8
hazaRdouS waSte 10
waSte FRoM eleCtRiCal and eleCtRoniC equiPMent 12
MateRial ReCyCling 13
BiologiCal tReatMent 16
waSte-to-eneRgy 19
landFill 22
waSte otheR than houSehold waSte 25
waSte eConoMiCS 26
waSte agenda 28
gloSSaRy 30
aBout avFall SveRige – SwediSh waSte ManageMent 33
StaFF 34
Content
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
3
PReFaCe
Sweden is the world-leader in waste manage-
ment. this is demonstrated through the great
interest in Swedish environmental technology
in the waste sector. and we should be proud!
thanks to a great commitment from citizens,
property owners, producers, contractors, and
local authorities, 97 percent of all household
waste today is being recycled.
after having seen an increase in waste vol-
umes for several years, they are now leveling
off. there is a close connection between the
economic situation and consumption, and
between consumption and waste volumes.
through the framework directive for waste, the
european union requires that the member
states take measures to prevent the produc-
tion of waste. Countries are required to devel-
op a waste reduction plan with the aim of sta-
bilizing their waste production by the year
2012 and reducing it by 2020. this work has
been initialized and should be finished by
2013. all member states in the eu should
have established a waste prevention program
by this time. avfall Sverige is one of the actors
in this process.
the annual report, “Swedish waste
Management” has been published by avfall
Sverige for more than ten years now. it briefly
describes how waste management works in
Sweden. through texts, figures and tables, it
presents factual information that has been
updated based on the latest available statis-
tics. the report, “Swedish waste Management
2009” is intended for those active in the
waste industry, local and central decision-
makers, authorities, educational institutions,
media, and other interested parties.
Malmö June 2009
weine wiqvist,
Managing director avfall Sverige
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
4
waste shall be treated in such a way that the
maximal environmental and social benefits
are achieved. all parties participate in this
work – from producers to households. the
producers are responsible for their various
product groups, the local authorities are
responsible for the household waste, and the
operators in the sector are responsible for tak-
ing care of all waste which is not household
waste. the households have the responsibility
to separate paper, packaging, electric waste,
batteries, and bulky waste and to leave this
waste for the collection systems available.
households also have the responsibility to fol-
low the regulations for waste management
within their municipality.
waste management is prioritized according
to a five step waste hierarchy: waste preven-
tion, reuse, material recycling, recovery – for
example energy recovery – and last, disposal.
how SwediSh waSte ManageMent woRkS
exceptions from the hierarchy may be neces-
sary for technical, economical or environmen-
tal reasons.
eu decisions set the frameworks for Swedish
waste management. the environmental objec-
tives of the Swedish Parliament govern the
waste management and its environmental
aspects. these are the environmental objec-
tives for the waste sector:
a 50 percent reduction of waste going to •
landfills, excluding mining waste, by the
year 2005 compared to levels in 1994.
By 2010, at the latest, a minimum of 50 •
percent of household waste shall be recov-
ered through material recycling, including
biological treatment.
By 2010, at the latest, a minimum of 35 •
percent of food waste from households,
restaurants, large-scale kitchens, and
stores shall be recycled through biological
treatment. the objective refers to source-
separated food waste for both home com-
posting and central treatment.
By 2010, at the latest, food waste, and con-•
sequently also equivalent waste from food
industries etc., shall be recycled through
biological treatment. the objective refers to
waste not mixed with other types of waste,
which subsequent to treatment is of suffi-
cient quality that it is suitable for crop pro-
duction.
By 2015, at the latest, at least 60 percent •
of phosphorus pollution in effluent shall be
treated and used on productive lands, of
which at least half should be used on arable
land.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
5
the most important treatment methods for
waste are:
Material recycling•
Biological treatment•
waste-to-energy•
landfill •
hazardous waste can be treated with one or
several of these methods, depending on the
character of the waste.
Recycling of packaging, paper, scrap, and
electric waste, reduce the environmental
impact and save energy and resources.
Biological treatment is implemented through
anaerobic digestion or composting. anaerobic
digestion produces biogas which can be used
as vehicle fuel. the biogas produced from
waste is equivalent to 30 million liters of pet-
rol. anaerobic digestion also produces diges-
tate which is an excellent nutrient. Composting
produces long-lasting fertilizer used as soil
improver in gardens, parks and for ground
installations.
waste incineration is an efficient and envi-
ronmentally safe method for producing energy
from waste. every year it produces heating
which corresponds to the need of 810,000
households, approximately 20 percent of all
the district heating produced. it also produces
electricity which corresponds to the need of
more than 250,000 houses.
landfilling is a necessary treatment method
for such waste which cannot or should not be
recovered or treated in another way. through
landfilling, waste is kept in a long-term safe
way, and the treatment method is controlled
by a strict regulatory framework.
the local authorities can choose how to
organize the waste management. this possi-
bility of municipal self-government is laid down
in the constitutional law. the local authorities
can choose management mode or municipal
undertakings, separate or joint with other
municipalities. Cooperation is also possible
with a joint committee or local government
federation. there are also local authorities
who collaborate on specific matters, such as
joint procurements. to many local authorities
collaboration is a natural solution to attain the
best possible environmental and social bene-
fits, to achieve cost-efficient treatment and to
guarantee the competence required.
in 75 percent of municipalities the collec-
tion of household waste is managed by exter-
nal actors, private companies, while the rest is
managed by the municipalities themselves. in
the same way, waste treatment is effected
either by the municipalities themselves or by
an external actor, often a municipal enterprise
or sometimes a private company.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
6
the fastest growing collection method for
household waste is for members of house-
holds themselves to drop off bulky waste and
hazardous waste at one of the municipalities
manned recycling centers. there are about
650 recycling centers in the country and the
quantities of bulky waste, as well as the
number of visitors, have increased in recent
years. during 2008 approximately 1,400,000
tons of waste was handed to the municipal
recycling centers, which corresponds to 154
kg per person. each recycling center received
on average 8,240 visitors that year, or 5,3 mil-
lion visitors in total.
Bulky waste is household waste that is too
heavy, too bulky or for other reasons inappro-
priate for collection in bags or bins. it may be
for example broken furniture, toys, bicycles, or
baby prams, but can also include garden
waste or certain demolition waste. at the recy-
cling centers, the main part of households’
bulky waste, hazardous waste and waste from
electric and electronic equipment (weee) can
be handed in.
Several of the recycling centers in the coun-
try have had problems with burglaries and
thefts in the last years. there have also been
incidents where staff at the centers has been
threatened by visitors. due to this, most of the
bigger and recently built recycling centers
have installed electric fences, which have con-
siderably reduced the number of burglaries.
ColleCtion and tRanSPoRt
Several of the municipalities have also intro-
duced a barrier gate system at recycling cent-
ers to improve the safety, to get a functional
system for access control and to obtain more
accurate visiting statistics. this system is
often combined with an entry card which gives
households the right to a certain number of
free visits. For a fee, small entrepreneurs also
have the possibility to use the services offered
at the recycling centers in several of the
municipalities.
the producers’ system, with approximately
5,800 unmanned recycling stations for pack-
aging and paper, are located around the coun-
try. Collection systems should be formed in
consultation with both producers and local
authorities. the recycling stations have sepa-
rate containers for newspaper and different
types of packaging materials. Several munici-
palities have implemented curbside collection
of material which falls under producers’
responsibility, from apartment blocks and
detached house properties, a collection sys-
tem which is becoming more common.
almost half of all municipalities in the coun-
try now have collection systems for source-
separated food waste. the most common col-
lection systems are collections with separate
containers, one for bio-waste and one for com-
bustible waste, collections with a multi-com-
partment system, or through optical sorting of
different colored bags that are placed into the
same container.
the most common ways to collect the house-
hold waste in bins and bags is either as a
mixed waste fraction intended for waste-to-
energy incineration, or through two separated
waste fractions – one for food waste and one
for combustible waste.
Collection in bags constitutes a working
environment risk and has therefore become
considerably less common. Mixed combusti-
ble waste from single-family houses is in most
cases collected in 190 liter wheelie bins and
emptied every other week. other than this,
there are a number of different bag and bin
sizes which are collected and emptied in vari-
ous intervals. waste from apartment blocks is
normally collected weekly. traditional back-
loading vehicles are still the most common
when it comes to waste collection, but the
technology for multi-compartmented vehicles
is developing and becoming more and more
popular, while side-loading vehicles account
for a more constant share of the operators’
vehicle fleet. an increasing number of vehicles
use biogas as fuel, which the local authorities
may control through purchasing require-
ments.
waste collection previously led to many
work-related injuries. daily heavy lifting was
part of the job in the past, and waste collec-
tion required workers to be in good physical
condition. only a few waste collectors were
able to work until the average retirement age.
today, the situation is different. Bags have
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
7
been replaced with bins or other types of con-
tainers. Manual handling of waste is being
replaced by new technology and automated
systems, such as refuse vacuum pipes and
underground container systems. Both of these
systems are becoming more common, particu-
larly in bigger cities. one of several advantag-
es is that they do not require heavy manual
handling. From the point of view of health and
safety at work, vacuum collection systems are
good since they are sealed and completely
automated. this type of collection system
reduces the need for waste transportation,
especially in residential areas.
there are two kinds of vacuum collection
systems, a stationary system and a mobile
system. with the stationary system the waste
is collected using air in an automated vacuum
system. it is thereafter transported through
underground tubes, which connect the inlets
with big containers placed in a terminal. with
this technique the waste can be transported
up to a distance of two kilometers from the
inlets. the number of containers varies and
depends, on the one hand, upon the number
of collected fractions, and on the other hand,
on the waste volumes. the containers are col-
lected by hook-lift vehicles.
the mobile vacuum collection system also
uses air to collect the waste. however, here
the vacuum technique originates from the
vehicle. Positioned under each input is a stor-
age tank. the tanks are connected, via an
underground pipe system, to a so called dock-
ing point which could be placed at a maximum
distance of 300 meters from the tanks. the
vehicle connects to the docking point for emp-
tying, the vacuum system is turned on and air
transports the waste from the different stor-
age tanks to the docking point and further
onto the vehicle. Mobile vacuum collection
systems require specialized vehicles.
another collection system that is on the rise
is the underground container system. By plac-
ing containers underground, the need for
space on the street level is reduced. the tem-
perature below the street level, where the
waste is contained, is relatively low, which
prevents odor, and the containers can be eas-
ily emptied with a crane truck. there are also
underground containers which are emptied
with front-loading vehicles. Since the under-
ground containers can hold bigger volumes,
the level of transports is reduced.
Great importance is given to forming and designing waste disposal areas today.
There are different types of vacuum collection systems. What they have in common is that they are closed and automated.
Underground containers will reduce the need for space above street level, and the system also reduces the level of transports.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
8
waSte quantitieS 2008
in the last years, waste quantities have
increased by approximately 3-4 percent each
year. however, the figures from 2008 have
stayed more or less the same compared to
2007. the fact that the previous increase has
leveled off is very likely an effect of the reces-
sion. there is a close connection between the
economic situation and consumption, and
between consumption and waste quantities –
lower consumption leads to reduced waste
quantities.
in 2008, a total of 4,731,660 tons of house-
hold waste was treated, a small increase of
0.3 percent compared to 2007. if divided over
the population, this means that each Swedish
resident produces 511,2 kg of waste per year.
there have not been any significant chang-
es regarding the division of waste between
different treatment methods over the last
years. 97 percent of household waste is recov-
ered, while only 3 percent goes to landfills, a
reduction of close to 25 percent compared
with 2007.
Material recycling has decreased some-
what, and is now at 35 percent, while incinera-
tion with energy recovery has increased, and
is now 48.5 percent. Biological treatment,
anaerobic digestion or composting, has also
increased and now represents 12.6 percent.
597,280 tons of household waste was treated
biologically last year, which is an increase of
close to 36,000 tons or 6.4 percent. Park and
garden waste as well as food waste are includ-
ed in those figures.
Material recycling, excluding biological treat-
ment, has decreased by close to 80,000 tons
or 4.6 percent. 1,657,840 tons of packaging,
paper, electric waste and metal from the
municipal recycling centers was taken care of
through recycling.
2,292,970 tons of household waste was
treated through incineration with energy recov-
ery, an increase of 4.7 percent and more than
100,000 tons.
landfill disposal continues to decrease.
140,250 tons of household waste went to
landfills in 2008. this is a decrease of 46,000
tons from the previous year, or 24.8 percent.
hazardous waste still represents 0.9 per-
cent of treated household waste. 43,320 tons
was collected last year. almost half of that
waste was impregnated wood, 21,380 tons, a
fraction which has increased considerably in
the last years.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
9
SuMMaRy 1998-2008
quantity oF tReated houSehold waSte 2004–2008 (tonS) 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008hazardous waste 25,700 26,400 38,960 40,880 43,320Material recovery 1,384,760 1,474,280 1,657,520 1,737,720 1,657,840Biological treatment 433,830 454,450 469,880 561,300 597,280incineration with energy recovery 1,944,290 2,181,890 2,107,860 2,190,980 2,292,970landfilling 380,000 210,110 226,000 186,490 140,250Total 4,168,580 4,347,130 4,500,220 4,717,370 4,731,660
quantity oF tReated houSehold waSte 2004–2008 (kg/PeRSon) 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008hazardous waste 2.9 2.9 4.3 4.5 4.7Material recovery 153.7 162.9 181.9 189.2 179.1Biological treatment 48.1 50.2 51.6 61.1 64.5incineration with energy recovery 215.8 241.2 231.3 238.6 247.7landfilling 42.2 23.2 24.8 20.3 15.2Total 462.6 480.5 493.8 513.7 511.2
quantity oF tReated houSehold waSte 2004–2008 (%)
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008hazardous waste 0.6 0.6 0.9 0.9 0.9Material recovery 33.2 33.9 36.8 36.8 35.0Biological treatment 10.4 10.5 10.4 11.9 12.6incineration with energy recovery 46.6 50.2 46.8 46.4 48.5landfilling 9.1 4.8 5.0 4.0 3.0Total 100 100 100 100 100
Source: avfall Sverige
waSte StatiStiCS 2009
milj. ton5
4
3
2
1
0 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Total quantity of treated household waste Tons %hazardous waste 43,320 0.9Material recovery 1,65,840 35.0Biological treatment 597,280 12.6incineration with energy recovery 2,292,970 48.5Landfilling 140,250 3.0
total 4,731,660 100
the quantities of household waste are no longer increasing; a clear effect of the recession. Reduced con-sumption leads to reduced waste quantities. Sweden is today recycling 97 percent of its household waste.
ton
-03 -04 -05 -06 -08-07-98 -99 -00
Hazardous wasteBiological treatment
LandfillingMaterial recovery
Incineration with energy recovery
-01 -020
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
10
in 2008, 43,320 tons of hazardous waste was
collected from households, an increase of 6.0
percent compared to 2007. on average, 4.7 kg
of hazardous waste per capita was handed in.
the figures include lead-acid batteries, small
batteries and impregnated wood, a fraction
which has steadily increased over recent years
and today constitutes close to half of all haz-
ardous waste from households. 21,380 tons
of impregnated wood was collected last year,
which is an increase of 22 percent compared
to 2007. hazardous waste, including impreg-
nated wood, represented 0.9 percent of
household waste.
But at the same time as the quantities of
impregnated wood increase, other kinds of
hazardous waste are decreasing. the collect-
hazaRdouS waSte
ed amounts were, impregnated wood exclud-
ed, 21,940 tons, a reduction of 6 percent
compared to the previous year.
hazardous waste can be toxic, carcinogenic,
corrosive, mutagenic, ecotoxic, infectious, or
flammable. hazardous substances may occur
in very small amounts in various products, but
could all together cause great damage if they
end up in the wrong place. it is therefore
important that hazardous waste is separated
and handed in correctly.
local authorities are responsible for collec-
tion, transport and treatment of hazardous
household waste. the responsibility is regu-
lated by legislation. households are responsi-
ble for separating hazardous waste from other
household waste. the majority of local author-
ities have had this responsibility included in
their Municipal waste Regulation ordinance
for a long time.
there are no precise statistics of the
amounts of hazardous waste from industries,
but according to the official Swedish waste
statistics, reported to the eu by the Swedish
environmental Protection agency, Swedish
households and enterprises produced 2.8 mil-
lion tons of hazardous waste in 2006, includ-
ing electrical waste, scrap vehicles etc.
a new producers’ responsibility for batteries
went into effect on January 1st, 2009.
the new regulations gives the battery pro-
ducers a responsibility to collect, treat, recycle
and dispose all batteries regardless of when
they appeared on the market.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
11
in 2008, the municipalities collected 1,826
tons of small batteries, both hazardous and
non-hazardous, an average of 0.2 kg per per-
son. Compared to 2007 this constitutes an
increase of 8.8 percent.
the most common collection system regard-
ing hazardous waste is collection at manned
municipal recycling centers. Several munici-
palities have stopped using the previously
common unmanned recycling stations and
have instead introduced some kind of curb-
side collection. approximately one third of all
municipalities in the country offer curbside
collection, often in combination with several
other collection systems.
ColleCtion oF SMall BatteRieS 2002–2008
kg/person
-03 -04 -05 -08-07-06-020
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
quantity oF hazaRdouS waSte ColleCted
tons
-03 -04 -05 -08-07-06-98 -99 -00 -01
Quantity of hazardous waste collected (excl. impregnated wood)
-020
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
45,000
Quantity of hazardous waste collected (inc. impregnated wood)
hazardous waste handed to treatment facili-
ties often requires pre-treatment in order to
facilitate further treatment. Since hazardous
waste contains hazardous substances, the
treatment often aims at destroying these sub-
stances. Substance which cannot be rendered
harmless or be reused will be landfilled. in
these cases it is important that the waste is
stabilized chemically and physically so hazard-
ous substances do not leak to surrounding
areas.
new treatment methods regarding recycling
of hazardous waste have been developed,
which involve the separation of hazardous
substances and the recycling of the remaining
parts. the method is for instance used for
treatment of paint cans, oil filters and flores-
cent tubes. lead and cadmium can be recy-
cled through the re-melting of batteries. toxic
and persistent organic substances, such as
pesticides and other hazardous chemical
wastes, are incinerated at high temperatures.
Contaminated soil can be decontaminated
through biodegradation. impregnated wood
contains ecologically harmful substances such
as arsenic, creosote, and copper. Collected
wood is chipped and incinerated in specially
licensed waste-to-energy plants.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
12
151,700 tons of waste from electrical and elec-
tronic equipment (weee) was collected in
2008, a reduction of 5.4 percent compared to
2007. on average, 16.4 kg per person was col-
lected in 2008. the previous year, the average
was 17.4 kg per person. there is a clear con-
nection between the economic situation, con-
sumption, and waste production. the reduction
is likely to be a result of the recession and of
smaller and lighter products.
Since the producers’ responsibility was
introduced in Sweden, local authorities and
producers have cooperated in the manage-
ment of weee. avfall Sverige – Swedish waste
Management, the Swedish association of
local authorities and Regions (SalaR), and
the electrical producers’ service company,
el-kretsen, together created the system,
el-retur, in 2001. the collaboration means
that local authorities assume responsibility for
waSte FRoM eleCtRiC and eleCtRoniC equiPMent
the collection of electrical and electronic
waste and the producers are responsible for
its treatment.
Collection of this waste is primarily carried
out at the manned municipal recycling cent-
ers, of which there are approximately 650
throughout the country. in some municipalities
this is complemented by curbside collection.
avfall Sverige and el-kretsen collaborate with
several local authorities on different projects
to develop these collection systems. an exam-
ple of this is the collection of light bulbs and
smaller electric and electronic waste into
small containers, which are placed in stores
and other public places.
weee is pretreated through sorting and
dismantling before it is sent on for further
treatment. Pretreatment is carried out in certi-
fied facilities, and are latern forwarded to final
treatment and recycling.
Components containing hazardous substances,
i.e. hazardous waste, are treated in approved
treatment facilities. Plastic casings are incin-
erated in waste-to-energy plants, and metal is
recycled in smelting plants. Fluorescent tubes
and low-energy bulbs contain mercury. these
products are therefore separated and treated
in a closed process. the glass and metal con-
tents are recycled, and methods enabling the
recycling of the phosphorus powder with its
mercury content, are being developed.
it happens that old electronic products are
donated to other countries as charity, for what
may seem like a good cause, but this is how-
ever not environmental friendly. From an envi-
ronmental point of view, it is better to have
these products recycled in Sweden, where we
have methods to treat such waste in an envi-
ronmentally sound way.
weee 2004–2008 (tonS) 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008large white goods (excl. fridges and freezers) 36,800 36,300 45,500 45,500 42,000other household appliances 10,200 12,300 11,900 12,600 10,100it , office equipment, telecom 17,700 22,700 27,600 30,800 28,100tv , audio, video 15,700 21,000 26,300 30,400 32,900Cameras, watches, toys 200 300 300 300 600lamps electrical fittings 5,800 6,700 7,900 7,900 6,300others 900 2,200 2,400 2,300 2,900Total 87,300 101,500 121,900 129,800 122,900Fridges and freezers 21,800 25,000 28,000 30,500 28,800Total 109,100 126,500 149,900 160,300 151,700
Source: el-kretsen
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
13
Material recycling including biological treat-
ment, decreased by almost 2 percent in 2008
compared to the previous year. Material recy-
cling accounted for 2,255,120 tons, which
represents 243.6 kg per person. the Swedish
Parliament has set the goal of having at least
50 percent of household waste going to mate-
rial recycling, including biological treatment,
by 2010. last year the material recycling
reached 47.6 percent.
the part of material recycling which includes
packaging, paper, electrical waste, as well as
bulky waste collected as metal fraction in
municipal recycling centers, decreased to
1,657,840 tons, which is 179.1 kg per person
MateRial ReCyCling
and corresponds to 35 percent of all treated
household waste.
Metal waste from households handed to the
recycling centers, such as bicycles and garden
furniture, have increased every year, but
decreased by 28,000 tons between 2007 and
2008. last year, 152,000 tons of metal waste
was collected for recycling, which is 16.4 kg
per person. that is almost the same quantity
as in 2006.
one explanation for the reduced quantities
of waste going to material recycling is the eco-
nomic recession. Reduced consumption leads
to reduced waste quantities. at the same time,
recycling of newspapers and some types of
packaging has increased, meaning that a
greater extent of packages and newspapers
put on the market gets recycled.
the presented figures on quantities of
paper, plastic and metal packaging are based
on packaging quantities reported by produc-
tion companies, which pay fees to the so
called RePa Register (producer responsibility
register for packaging). Packaging is mainly
collected through the some 5,800 unmanned
recycling stations that producers control.
however, it can also be collected at the
manned municipal recycling centers. Several
municipalities have introduced curbside col-
lection of newspapers and packaging.
ton
1990 1995 2000 201020051975 1980 19850
200,000400,000600,000800,000
1,000,0001,200,0001,400,0001,600,0001,800,0002,000,000
MateRial ReCyCling houSeholdS
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
14
the amount of newspaper collected decreased
to 459,000 tons in 2008. the recycling rate
however went up to 89 percent; the target rate
of 75 percent was achieved a long time ago.
the amount of office paper that was collected
decreased to 156,000 tons, which is approxi-
mately 68.1 percent of the amount produced
on the market. the result thereby exceeds the
voluntary target of 50 percent.
482,000 tons of paper packaging – paper,
paper packaging and corrugated cardboard –
was recycled in 2008. the joint recycling target
for all packaging made from paper fibers was
65 percent, while the recycling rate for last
year was 74 percent.
32,660 tons of metal packaging was recycled
last year, which is 67 percent of the quantity
available on the market. the recycling target
was 70 percent.
50,310 tons, or 30.5 percent, of plastic
packaging went to material recycling in 2008.
48,750 tons went to waste-to-energy incinera-
tion, which is 29.5 percent. that adds up to a
total recovery rate of 60 percent of plastic
packaging. the government’s recovery target is
70 percent, of which 30 percent should go to
material recycling.
174,170 tons, or 93.6 percent, of glass
packaging was recycled. the recycling target
was 70 percent.
Plastic and glass are the only types of packag-
ing where the collected quantities have
increased since 2007.
Producers of packaging and paper and local
authorities have made a joint agreement with
increased recycling as the common objective.
the joint agreement aims to provide clearer
information, better methods of evaluating serv-
ices, research and development, locally adjust-
ed systems and better coordinated planning of
the waste management as a whole.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
15
ReCyCling 2008 [Tonnes] [kg/person] Recovery degree % Target %
Paper 459,000 49.6 89 75office paper 156,000 16.9 68.1 Cardboard packages 482,000 52.1 74 65Metal packages 32,660 3.5 67 70Plastic packages 50,310 5.4 30.5 70glass packages 174,170 18.8 93.6 70weee 122,900 13.3 80 Refrigeration units 28,800 3.1 95 Metal from household waste 152,000 16.4 95 Total 1,657,840 179.1 * 29.5 % waste-to-energy. Total recovery degree 60 %. ** Of which 30 % waste-to-energy
ReCyCling oF houSehold waSte 2004-2008 (tonneS) 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008Paper 448,000 483,000 483,000 474,000 459,000office paper 128,000 135,000 153,000 164,000 156,000Cardboard packages 375,000 380,000 486,790 504,000 482,000Metal packages 33,500 33,700 33,700 35,300 32,660Plastic packages 29,400 31,080 42,130 49,120 50,310glass packages 152,020 155,000 159,000 171,100 174,170weee 87,000 101,500 121,900 129,700 122,900Refrigeration units 21,840 25,000 28,000 30,500 28,800Metal from household waste 110,000 130,000 150,000 180,000 152,000Total 1,384,760 1,474,280 1,657,520 1,737,720 1,657,840
Source: Förpacknings- och tidningsinsamlingen, el-kretsen and avfall Sverige
*/**
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
16
last year, 597,280 tons of household waste
was biologically treated. an increase of 6.4
percent compared to 2007. in total that means
that 64.5 kg of food waste and green waste
per person was biologically treated in 2008.
the biological treatment now stands for 12.6
percent of the total quantity of treated house-
hold waste.
133 of 290 municipalities already have
more or less implemented systems for collec-
tion of food waste. 22 of these only collect
food waste from restaurants and large-scale
kitchens, while the remaining 111 municipali-
ties have systems for households as well.
these municipalities represent half of the
Swedish population. according to a study car-
ried out by avfall Sverige, an additional 90
municipalities are planning to introduce sys-
tems for source-separation of food waste. the
same study shows that all municipalities need
to act in order to reach the environmental
objective. according to avfall Sverige’s calcula-
tions, an estimated 20 percent of the food
waste was biologically treated in 2008.
BiologiCal tReatMent
waste analysis shows that every Swedish resi-
dent produces close to 100 kg of food waste
every year, mainly from fruit and vegetables.
the most common system used for source
separation of food waste in single-family hous-
es is two separate bins, one for food waste
and one for combustible waste. there is also a
system where different fractions are separat-
ed into separate containers. another collec-
tion system, which is used, is optic sorting of
different colored bags that are put into the
same container. through anaerobic diges-
tion of biological waste, biogas, consisting of
methane and carbon dioxide, is produced.
Biogas is renewable and the most environ-
mentally sound fuel available, and can be
used for vehicle fuel, heating and electricity
generation.
in order to use biogas as vehicle fuel it needs
to be upgraded. in 2008, 280,000 Mwh of
biogas was produced, which is equivalent to
30 million liters of petrol. Biogas is today pri-
marily used as vehicle fuel, a market which is
developing quickly.
anaerobic digestion also produces diges-
tate, which is an excellent fertilizer. 389,350
tons of digestate was produced in 2008, of
which 96 percent was used in farming. the
remaining 4 percent was either dehydrated
and/or processed with after-composting.
the compost produced at plants is mainly
used as soil improver or in soil mixtures.
Plants which produce compost or digestate
from source separated bio-waste, including
food waste from the food industry, can have
their product quality marked. the quality
1990 1995 2000 201020051975 1980 19850
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000tons
BiologiCal tReatMent
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
17
assurance system
has been developed
by avfall Sverige,
among others.
Certification places
requirements on the
entire waste manage-
ment chain, from the incoming waste to the
final product. a number of plants are currently
going through the process of having their prod-
ucts certified. eight biogas plants and three
composting plants have obtained certificates.
a voluntary undertaking to minimize the
emissions from biogas and upgrading plants,
was initiated by avfall Sverige and further
developed throughout 2008. air emissions
may arise from different stages of biological
treatment through anaerobic digestion of
organic material and in biogas upgrading proc-
esses in treatment plants. even though the
emissions from biogas plants are low, they
should be minimized for several reasons. they
can be attended to by putting a larger focus on
operational issues. approximately 30 biogas
and upgrading plants have signed up for the
voluntary undertaking.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
18
Composting Total (tons) of which household waste
alingsås 3,620 3,510Borlänge 12,400 11,810Borås 8,950 2,670eslöv 16,310 12,010Fagersta 4,090 780gällivare 6,920 560göteborg 25,430 24,410habo 790 290halmstad 25,420 1,760helsingborg 55,320 39,940huddinge 12,900 12,900hässleholm 12,300 10,120karlshamn 12,240 9,740karlskrona 7,830 7,830klippan 9,050 7,160kungsbacka 6,500 360ludvika 7,450 4,600luleå 18,370 11,940Malmö 32,660 32,660Motala 2,610 2,610Mörrum 14,500 12,010norrtälje 1,040 970Sala 9,720 6,250Södertälje 9,800 5,100tranås 1,730 500täby 30,210 23,240uppsala 10,880 9,280västerås 9,910 6,900Örebro 9,600 9,600Östersund 12,810 6,260Överkalix 740 230
Total 392,100 278,000 other plants 176,600 176,600
Total 568,700 454,600
Anaerobic digestion Total (tons) of which household waste
Bjuv 52,000 0Boden 2,510 1,400Borås 15,870 4,670eskilstuna 2,940 2,940Falköping 7,060 3,210helsingborg 65,540 15,210huddinge 910 610Jönköping 4,490 1,780kalmar 21,990 0kristianstad 81,340 4,300laholm 59,170 900linköping 40,700 0Skellefteå 5,300 3,420Skövde 3,550 0uppsala 6,560 2,290vetlanda 2,550 2,550vänersborg 12,700 10,100västerås 20,400 14,3000Total 405,580 67,680
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
anaerobic digestion 244,374 258,071 283,729 356,087 405,580Composting 389,384 459,827 452,388 515,294 568,700total biological treatment 633,758 717,710 736,117 871,380 974,280of which food waste 107,028 118,960 134,994 166,807 162,680total quantity of household waste treated biologically* 433,830 454,450 469,877 561,303 597,280 digestate (tons) 211,080 251,840 272,730 336,100 389,350Biogas (Mwh) 118,900 161,600 181,270 228,810 280,000 vehicle gas (Mwh) 70,170 68,600 80,180 112,860 162,420electricity (Mwh) 6,230 1,260 1,680 1,230 700heating (Mwh) 38,230 61,620 63,600 67,960 48,740Crude gas (Mwh) 0 19,130 26,250 36,370 42,300
* including 75,000 tons of home composting.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
19
in 2008, 2,292,970 tons of household waste
went to incineration with energy recovery
(waste-to-energy). that was an increase of
100,000 tons compared to 2007. divided over
the Swedish population, 247 kg of household
waste per person was incinerated last year.
waste-to-energy accounts for 48.5 percent of
the total amount of treated household waste.
expansion and improvement of effective-
ness have led to increased energy recovery in
the last years. 13.7 twh of energy was pro-
duced through incineration, of which 12.2
twh was used for heating and 1.5 twh for
electricity. that corresponds to electricity for
250,000 normal sized homes, and heating for
810,000 homes. a study on european waste-
to-energy production shows that Sweden has
the highest rate of energy recovery from waste
incineration*.
in addition, 2,273,840 tons of other waste
was treated, mainly industrial waste. the total
amount of incinerated waste was 4,566,810
tons, and more or less the same amount of
household waste and other waste was treated
at the plants. waste incineration with energy
recovery also takes place in plants which do
not treat household waste. there are no statis-
tics on the total amount of energy recovery
through waste incineration, since avfall Sverige
waSte-to-eneRgy
only gathers information from the incineration
plants treating household waste.
Sweden has placed strict regulations on air
and water emissions from waste incineration
since the middle of the 1980’s. emissions
have been reduced by 90-99 percent since
that time. apart from stricter regulations,
other factors such as progressing technologi-
cal development and improved waste separa-
tion have contributed to reduced emissions.
the remains from incineration consist of
bottom ash from the furnace, 15-20 percent
by weight of the treated waste, and flue gas
treatment residues, 3-5 percent by weight.
Part of the slag goes to landfills, while slag
gravel may be used as substitute to natural
gravel in, for example, road and landfill con-
struction work. the flue gas treatment resi-
dues are either transported to landfills or used
for neutralization when refilling mines.
in 2008, the new eu waste Framework
directive was approved, stating that efficient
waste-to-energy treatment is considered recy-
cling.
in Sweden, one new incineration plant and
two new boilers were put into service in 2008.
there are 29 plants for incineration of house-
hold waste, which will continue to expand in
2009 and 2010.
imported waste used for energy recovery has
increased in recent years and has become an
increasingly important source of Swedish dis-
trict energy systems. an evaluation on the cli-
mate impact of imported waste going to waste-
to-energy incineration**, carried out by avfall
Sverige – Swedish waste Management and
Swedish district heating association, shows
that the emissions of greenhouse gases, due
to the import of waste to Swedish district heat-
ing facilities, decreased by 500,000 tons of
Co2 equivalents in 2007.
the main reason for the large emission
reduction is that imports replace waste treat-
ment in the country of origin. this includes,
first of all, landfilling which reduce emissions
of methane considerably, a very potent green-
house gas. the report shows that the trans-
portation of waste in comparison only margin-
ally adds to the greenhouse emissions.
waste-to-energy incineration is a sanitary
and environmentally sound treatment method
of such waste which cannot or should not be
treated otherwise.
* ”energy from waste – an international perspective”avfall Sverige report 2009:05 is available for download at www.avfallsveige.se
** ”klimatpåverkan från import av brännbart avfall”avfall Sverige report u2009:06 is available for download at www.avfallsverige.se
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
20
Processed waste (tons) Energy recovery (MWh)
Plant (town) Household waste Total Heating Electricity
avesta 21,210 48,530 157,040 0Boden 30,210 67,390 191,000 19,500Bollnäs 22,580 48,540 122,270 0Borlänge 9,130 30,880 80,650 730Borås 29,680 96,330 233,630 32,650eksjö 32,840 54,050 94,000 12,180Finspång 23,350 30,390 67,330 0göteborg 292,310 453,010 1,226,370 233,790halmstad 94,020 185,290 435,340 61,770hässleholm 9,880 40,740 117,840 6,600Jönköping 56,690 149,550 348,810 106,400karlskoga 33,160 99,710 332,000 35,000karlstad 47,710 54,800 166,350 0kil 0 12,590 35,240 0kiruna 31,120 60,000 126,510 23,270kumla 41,210 145,310 228,300 59,950köping 14,670 27,160 72,530 0lidköping 56,910 96,240 292,510 23,680linköping 177,380 396,750 1,024,120 130,190ljungby 51,400 57,600 130,300 19,920Malmö 216,140 440,580 1,246,030 180,310Mora 10,660 14,070 40,520 0norrköping 102,670 196,930 431,600 70,750Skövde 25,880 52,220 152,670 12,300Stockholm 429,450 688,260 1,842,160 327,030Sundsvall 138,110 209,000 460,000 88,000Södertälje 0 239,280 823,450 0uddevalla 20,190 35,810 77,660 1,710umeå dåva 92,660 153,000 390,500 81,890uppsala 171,410 343,800 1,134,810 0västervik 10,350 39,030 115,080 0
Total 2,292,970 4,566,810 12,196,620 1,527,600
avfall Sverige’s statistics encompass waste-to-energy plants for household waste. Most plants also accept other waste.the plants in Södertälje and kil are included despite this definition.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
21
-91 -08 -07 -06 -01-96
tons
0
1
2
3
4
55,000,000
4,000,000
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
Total amount of waste treated by Waste-to-EnergyOf which household waste
PRoCeSSed waSte
0
3
6
9
12
1515,000,000
12,000,000
9,000,000
6,000,000
3,000,000
-91 -08-07-06-01-96Production Heat
MWh
eneRgy ReCoveRy
Energy recovery and emissions 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Incineration (tons) household waste 1,944,290 2,181,890 2,107,860 2,190,980 2,292,970other waste 1,243,840 1,637,440 1,991,940 2,279,710 2,273,840Total 3,188,130 3,819,330 4,099,800 4,470,690 4,566,810
Production (MWh) heat 8,548,850 10,168,190 10,270,290 12,151,270 12,196,620electricity 739,060 943,270 1,187,390 1,482,750 1,527,600Total 9,287,910 11,111,460 11,457,680 13,634,020 13,724,220
Emissions to air (tons) dust 25 39 33 24 30hCl 106 98 55 60 39Sox (So2) 340 310 175 196 154nox (no2) 1734 1904 2180 2101 2190
Emissions to air* hg (kg) 38 33 39 36 44Cd + tl (kg) 5 21 15 6 6Pb (kg) 95 77 54 51 136dioxin (g) 1 1.1 0.8 0.5 0.8 Bottom ash (tons) 485,000 550,850 598,545 649,680 693,140aPC residues (tons) 138,000 160,920 176,298 183,370 202,920 * emission values are presented according to the rules for waste incineration.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
22
in 2008, 140,250 tons of household waste
was landfilled. a decrease of 46,000 tons,
24.8 percent, compared to 2007. this corre-
sponds to 15.2 kg per person. 3.0 percent of
all household waste was landfilled in 2008.
in 2008, a total of 1,670,000 tons of waste
was deposited at the Swedish landfill sites for
municipal waste, a decrease of 324,000 ton
compared to the year before.
in 1994, avfall Sverige started to collect
statistics on household waste deposited as
landfill. the amount of landfilled waste has
decreased considerably since then, and in
2003 the environmental objective, to halve
the waste going to landfills compared with
1994, was achieved.
the 31st of december 2008 much stricter
eu regulations regarding landfill took effect,
and almost half of all landfill sites for munici-
pal waste were closed. approximately 80 are
still open. 21 of these sites accept hazardous
waste, while 5 are limited to inert waste. the
landFill
closed landfill sites cover an estimated area of
25 km2, and are capped with a final cover.
every year approximately 6-8 million tons of
material is used for final covers of landfill
sites. natural material is not always available,
and in many cases, residues, such as con-
taminated soil, ashes, sludge etc., is used
instead. the estimated total cost for final cov-
ering of the landfill sites is 6 billion Sek.
during 2008, landfill gas was recovered
from 47 active sites. approximately 310 gwh
was used for energy production, of which 24
gwh was used for electricity. an additional 65
gwh of landfill gas was flared. energy is not
produced from flaring, but methane emissions
are reduced. gas produced in separate diges-
tion plants at landfill sites is presented in the
section on biological treatment.
an increasing number of landfill sites have
local treatment of the leachate. one of the
reasons for this is that several of the municipal
sewage plants that used to take care of the
leachate have higher quality standards on
sludge than before, in order to meet the
requirements for certification and so it can be
used in farming. local leachate treatment
includes biological treatment to reduce the
emissions of nutrients. leachate will however
change character in the long run, since depos-
iting of organic waste in landfills was forbidden
in 2005. an average sized landfill site, which
will still be running after the turn of the year
2008/2009, will annually treat approximately
80,000 m3 of leachate.
at modern landfill sites, waste disposal is
only part of the business conducted. they also
attend to the separation of waste materials
going to treatment, to transport on to recovery
and recycling, and to energy recovery.
Sometimes the landfill sites also serve as
temporary storage of large quantities of waste,
such as paper and glass, which fall under the
producers responsibility.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
23
-08-07-06-94 -95 -96 -97 -98 -99 -00 -01 -02 -03 -04 -050
1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
5,000,000
6,000,000
7,000,000
8000000tons
Quantity of waste deposited Of which household waste
landFilled waSte quantity
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
energy recovery 370,000 340,000 282,200 290,100 310,800of which electricity 25,000 20,000 20,800 22,600 23,700Flaring 50,000 70,000 60,200 52,100 65,100
eneRgy ReCoveRy at the landFill SiteS (Mwh)
dePoSited quantity 1994–2008 (tonS)
Deposited quantity of which household waste
1994 6,080,000 1,380,0001995 5,340,000 1,200,0001996 5,050,000 1,110,0001997 4,750,000 1,150,0001998 4,800,000 1,020,0001999 4,900,000 920,0002000 4,450,000 865,0002001 4,240,000 880,0002002 3,770,000 825,0002003 2,940,000 575,0002004 2,480,000 380,0002005 1,940,000 210,0002006 1,830,000 226,0002007 1,994,000 186,0002008 1,670,000 140,000
the presented figures on household waste are not completely authentic since there are fractions of actual household waste which not always can be separated from other waste.
New landfill sites which fulfill the stricter requirements are built in several places in Sweden.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
24
Household waste only represents a small part of the total waste volume. 112 million ton waste was treated in Sweden in 2006 according to the official statistics, of which household waste only accounted for 4.5 million tons.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
25
Collected data on waste other than household
waste is found in the official statistics pre-
sented to the eu by the Swedish environmental
Protection agency. according to the eu’s waste
Statistics directive, each member state must
present its country’s statistics once every two
years. in 2006, statistics reports were pre-
sented for the first time, presenting figures
from 2004. last year, waste statistics reports
were presented once again, then showing fig-
ures from 2006. however, the results are not
comparable, due to altered interpretations
and new methods for collection of data.
nonetheless, the figures point to increased
waste volumes in 2006 compared to 2004, for
both household waste and other waste.
in 2006, Sweden produced close to 121
million tons of non-hazardous waste and 2.8
million tons of hazardous waste. according to
the study conducted, 111.1 million tons of
non-hazardous waste and one million tons of
hazardous waste underwent treatment. these
figures include household waste. the statis-
waSte otheR than houSehold waSte
tics present waste quantities produced and
waste quantities treated, separately. there
are several reasons as to why the figures for
waste treated are smaller than the figures for
waste produced. For example, not all treat-
ment methods are reported, and neither is
internal material recycling in industries.
in 2006, 116 million tons of non-hazardous
waste was produced in the industry, of which
approximately half was mining waste. the
amount of hazardous waste produced in the
industry was 2 million tons.
26 million tons of treated non-hazardous
waste and 339,000 tons of hazardous waste
was recycled. Contaminated soil and incinera-
tion residues, which underwent treatment and
was used for covering of landfill sites, repre-
sented a large part of the recycling of hazard-
ous waste. 18,5 million tons of the non-haz-
ardous waste and 209,000 tons of hazardous
waste was treated through waste-to-energy
incineration. the figures covers all types of
waste, household waste included.
the largest waste volumes come from the min-
ing industry, followed by the wood industry and
the construction industry. 62 million tons of
mining waste, approximately 22 million tons of
wood waste and more than 8 million tons of
waste from the construction industry was pro-
duced in 2006.
the industries are responsible for managing
the waste, which is not household waste.
Sometimes they have at their disposal their
own landfill sites or the possibility of energy
recovery in incineration facilities.
waste from construction, renovation, recon-
struction or demolition of buildings, or from
more extensive garden constructions do not
fall under the responsibility of the local author-
ities to collect or handle. waste from minor
maintenance work and house repairs counts
as household waste. Some construction and
demolition waste are classified as hazardous
waste, for example asbestos and impregnated
wood, and must be treated accordingly.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
26
Municipalities and producers handle the man-
agement of household waste. the municipal
costs are charged as a separate waste collec-
tion fee, and the producers’ costs as a fee
included in the price of the product. the local
councils set the municipal waste collection
fees. the producers themselves decide on the
amount of the product fee. as a rule, the waste
collection fees cover the total costs for the
municipal waste management. however, cases
of deficits are tax-funded. administration, such
as waste planning, customer service, invoicing
and information are included in the costs. the
fee must also cover the service costs at the
recycling centers for collection and handling of
bulky waste and hazardous household waste.
the rate is often based on one fixed and one
variable fee, for example on one fee for waste
collection and one for waste treatment.
according to the self cost principle in the local
government act, the municipalities’ income
from fees must not exceed the costs for the
municipal waste management.
the waste collection fee of a Swedish sin-
gle-family house is 1,980 Sek a year on aver-
age, according to data from avfall Sverige’s
statistics system, avfall web.
Many local authorities, which have intro-
duced voluntary collection of food waste, use
the fee as a means of control. For example,
households that sign up for separate collec-
tion of food waste are offered a lower fee than
waSte eConoMiCS
those that choose to continue with mixed
waste collection.
to attain a higher recycling rate, several
municipalities have introduced a fee based on
weight which, means that the households pay
per kg of waste collected, on top of the basic
fee. 27 municipalities had the weight-based fee
in 2008. in these cases, the collection vehicles
are provided with a scale and equipment to
identify each bin. the total annual cost for
weight-based fees will vary depending on the
quantity of waste left for collection.
the waste collection fee for an apartment of
70 m2 is on average 1,300 Sek, according to
an annual report submitted by avgiftsgruppen,
an organization representing tenants’ and
landlords’ associations.
the cost for waste management is on aver-
age 675 Sek per person and year, including
vat. the municipal cost for collection of waste
in bins and bags is on average 190 Sek per
person. the basic fee, at 260 Sek per person,
covers the costs for the recycling centers,
treatment of hazardous household waste,
planning, information and administration. the
statistics come from avfall web and are based
on data collected from one third of the Swedish
municipalities.
there are several means to reduce the envi-
ronmental impact of waste management, to
improve resource efficiency and to increase
recycling, either through information or with
administrative and economical means of con-
trol. examples of administrative means are
regulations and prohibitions such as emission
limit values and prohibition against landfilling
of organic waste. economical means can work
either as “carrot”, through tax reliefs and sub-
ventions, or as “stick”, through taxes and
charges. the Polluter Pays Principle (PPP) is
applied.
tax on landfilled waste was introduced in
2000 as a way to reduce landfilling. the tax
was initially 250 Sek but has since then been
raised several times. Since July 1st 2006, the
landfill tax has been set at 435 Sek per ton of
waste disposed. the landfill site is liable for
taxation. on July 1st 2006 a tax on household
waste going to waste-to-energy incineration
was introduced. the tax is set based on a
model for the waste’s content of fossil materi-
al. the tax amount depends on whether the
incineration plant liable to tax produces elec-
tricity and, in that case, with what efficiency.
the incineration tax will probably be repealed
on october 1st 2010.
a treatment fee, or reception fee, is the part
of the waste management which is charged
when the waste is transported to the treat-
ment facility. the table on next page shows the
approximate charges for different types of
treatment. the charges can vary a good deal
from one facility to another.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
27
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
SEK/tons
electrical efficiency
waSte inCineRation taX
SEK/tons 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
landfill 700–1200 700–1200 700–1200 700–1200 700–1200waste-to-energy 300–600 300–600 500–1000 500–1000 550–1100Biological treatment 400–1000 400–600 400–700 400–800 400–800
tReatMent Fee
landFill taX
SEK/tons
-03 -04 -05 -09-08-07-06-00 -01 -020
100
200
300
400
500
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
28
Major law alterations, ordinances and regula-
tions to be respected by the waste industry.
1999
the e• nvironmental Code with associated
directives and regulations.
2000
intr• oduction of Sek 250 per tonne tax on
waste taken to landfill.
dere• gulation of industrial waste.
2001
dire• ctives with regulations about landfilling.
directives about producers’ responsibility •
for waste from electric and electronic equip-
ment.
2002
tax• on waste to landfill increased to Sek
288 per ton.
waste directive with new waste list.•
landfilling ban on sorted combustible •
waste.
Sorting requirements according to § 26 of •
the refuse collection directive.
directive introduced regarding the incinera-•
tion of waste. applies directly to new facili-
ties.
2003
t• ax on waste to landfill increased to Sek
370 per ton.
waSte agenda
government proposition 2002/03:117 “a •
society with non-toxic and resource efficient
eco-cycles” published. Parliamentary
debate and vote on the proposition.
2004
Clarification of the waste holder’s responsi-•
bility introduced in chapter 15 § 5 of the
environmental Code.
Regulations and general advice about the •
handling of combustible and organic waste.
Changes to the directives regarding produc-•
ers’ responsibility for packaging and waste
paper.
2005
landfilling ban on organic waste. •
Swedish environmental objectives: the •
amount of waste to landfill, excluding min-
ing waste, must be reduced by at least 50
per cent compared with 1994. (according to
the statistics for household waste in
2003).
new directive about producers’ responsibil-•
ity for waste from electric and electronic
equipment came into force on 13 august.
Previous directive continues to apply for
light bulbs and light sources.
directive and regulation about waste incin-•
eration came into force on 28 december.
national environmental objective that the •
quantity of landfill waste, excluding mining
waste, shall reduce by at least 50 per cent
calculated from the 1994 level.
2006
e• nergy tax on household waste for incinera-
tion through energy taxation, 1 July.
tax on waste to landfill increased to Sek •
435 per ton.
new directives regarding requirements for •
receiving waste at landfill facilities, and
regulations regarding the contents in a
municipal waste plan.
new eu directive 1013/2006 regarding the •
transportation of waste came into force.
2007
guidance on the concep• t of household
waste from the Swedish environmental
Protection agency.
introduction of increased environmental •
responsibility for the practiser of work and
increased legislation on environmental
crime.
the municipalities’ opportunity to take vol-•
untary responsibility for hazardous waste
other than household waste ended on 1
July.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
29
new directive regarding environmentally •
harmful activities and health protection
with new permission and reporting levels in
the appendix.
2008
a new legislation on public procurement •
takes effect on January 1st.
all open landfill sites must follow ordinanc-•
es and regulations for landfilling.
introducing demands on pre-consented col-•
lection systems for packaging and certain
types of paper such as newspaper, and on
authorization requirements to run such col-
lection systems professionally. this law
alteration is proposed to come into force on
September 1st.
a new Framework directive for waste from •
the european Community, to be implement-
ed in Sweden by 2010, at the earliest.
a new eC regulation with directives regard-•
ing export to certain countries for recovery
of waste is implemented.
a new eC regulation with directives regard-•
ing an embargo on exports of mercury etc.
from the eu is implemented.
2009
a new regulation regarding batteries takes •
effect on January 1st.
a new regulation on management of waste •
from extractive industries. the directives
concern waste from prospecting, extrac-
tion, processing activities, or storage of
mineral resources, and waste from quarry
activities.
2010
a national target to recycle at least 35 per-•
cent of all food waste from households,
restaurants, large-scale kitchens and stores
through biological treatment.
a national target to recover at least 50 per-•
cent of the household waste through materi-
al recycling, including biological treatment.
a national target to recycle all food waste •
and equivalent waste from food industries
etc. through biological treatment.
the incineration tax on household waste will •
be repealed on September 1st.
the revised eu Framework directive shall •
be implemented by december 10th, at the
latest.
2013
By december 12• th, at the latest, the member
states of the eu shall have established waste
prevention programs. the programs shall
either be part of waste plans in accordance
with the directive or of other environment
policy programs. the requirements are laid
down in the waste Framework directive
2008/98/eC.
2015
a national target to treat at least 60 percent •
of the phosphorus pollution in effluent, so it
can be of use on productive lands, of which
at least half shall be used on arable land.
the eu member states shall have estab-•
lished separate collection of at least paper,
metal and glass provided that it is practica-
ble from a technological, environmental and
economical point of view. the requirements
are laid down in the waste Framework
directive.
2020
the eu has the objective of reducing emis-•
sions of greenhouse gas by 20 percent by
2020, compared to the emissions rates in
1990. the Swedish Parliament has called
for a reduction of Sweden’s emissions by 40
percent, compared to 1990. the overall
target is to produce a total of 20 percent
renewable energy within the eu and that 10
percent of all vehicle fuel to be produced
from renewable resources.
the waste Frame directive includes new •
recycling objectives for the member states.
By 2020, 50 percent of all paper, metal,
plastic and glass household waste and
similar waste be reused or recovered. For
construction and demolition waste the tar-
get is 70 percent.
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
30
gloSSaRy
aeRoBiC tReatMent
treatment of bio waste with access to/supply
of oxygen, e.g. composting
anaeRoBiC digeStion
anaerobic (oxygen-free) treatment method for
bio waste where biogas is formed (compare
composting)
anaeRoBiC tReatMent
treatment of bio waste without access to/sup-
ply of oxygen, e.g. digestion
aSh
See flue gas cleaning remains and slag
Baling
Packing together and possibly tying into bales,
e.g. before intermediary storage or in order to
have easier to handle material
Bat Best available technology
guiding principle for which system should be
chosen based from an environmental per-
spective, with respect to what may be consid-
ered economically reasonable (See chapter 2
of the environmental Code)
BioCell
demarcated area, e.g. at landfill sites where
bio waste breaks down in an anoxic process
and landfill gas is produced
BiodegRadaBle waSte
waste that is suitable for composting or diges-
tion
BiogaS
gas that is formed during anoxic breakdown of
organic material, mainly consists of methane
and carbon dioxide
BiologiCal tReatMent
Recycling of humus, nourishment and/or ener-
gy from bio waste through aerobic or anaero-
bic treatment
BiologiCal waSte
See bio waste
BiowaSte
waste that is easily broken down biologically.
i.e. the proportion of organic waste that in a
limited time may be broken down in biological
processes. e.g. food and garden waste (com-
pare organic waste)
Bulky waSte
waste that is so heavy or bulky that it is not
suitable for collection in bags or containers
(see nfS 2004:4 § 4 )
ColleCtion
Collection, sorting or mixing of waste for further
transportation (see the waste directive § 4)
CoMBuStiBle waSte
waste that burns without additional energy
following the start of the incineration process
(See the waste directive § 4)
CoMPaCtoR
vehicle that is used for breaking up and pack-
ing waste (minimising the volume of waste) at
a landfill site
CoMPoSting
Biological treatment where biological waste is
broken down with the use of oxygen (compare
digestion)
ConStRuCtion and deMolition waSte
waste that arises through new construction,
extensions, renovation, reconstruction or the
demolition of buildings
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
31
CoveRing
Material at landfill, often in several layers, in
order to drain leachate, prevent rain water
seeping down and sometimes to prevent
waste from blowing away. intermediate cover-
ing is laid between layers of waste, final cover-
ing is a thicker layer over, sometimes with a
final layer of foliage planted.
CuRB-Side ColleCtion
Collection at or in direct connection to the
property where the waste is produced
dioXin
Collective name for 210 chloro-organic com-
pounds, 17 of which are extremely toxic and
accumulate in fatty tissue
diSPoSal
those procedures that are stated in appendix
5 to the waste directive, including landfill
eneRgy ReCoveRy
the safeguarding of electricity/heating that is
generated in a facility for waste incineration or
of gas from organic substances, e.g. in a
digestion facility at a landfill
Flue gaS tReatMent ReSidueS
Collective name for a fine-grained part that
occurs when treating flue gases and consists
of furnace ash, fly ash, filter cake from pipe
filters as well as sludge. Flue gas treatment
residues are dumped as hazardous waste.
Food waSte/CateRing waSte
Food waste from the food chain (households,
restaurants, large kitchens, shops and the
food industry) which for commercial or other
reasons has not been consumed
hazaRdouS waSte
waste that has one or several hazardous prop-
erties, e.g. toxic, carcinogenic, explosive or
inflammable. Formally viewed as waste that is
marked with a * in appendix 2 or other waste
that has one or several hazardous properties
according to appendix 3 of the waste directive
(see the waste directive § 4)
houSehold waSte
waste that comes from households and waste
from other activities whose type or composi-
tion is similar to the waste produced by house-
holds (see the environmental Code, chapter
15 § 2)
induStRial waSte
waste that is produced through an industrial
processes
ineRt waSte
waste that does not undergo any essential
physical, chemical or biological changes when
in contact with other waste, e.g. stone and
gravel (See the landfill directive § 3)
inSPeCtion CheCk
inspection from the authorities of the activity
conducted by certain operations, particularly
of an environmentally hazardous nature
landFill
Controlled storage of waste that is not intend-
ed for removal (see the landfill directive § 5 )
landFill gaS
Biogas that is formed at a landfill site
leaChate
liquid that runs through, pushes out or is con-
tained in waste during landfill, intermediary
storage or transportation
lineR
Sealing at landfill, often consisting of several
layers, for preventing precipitation from seep-
ing into the landfill or collecting leachate
MateRial ReCyCling
See recycling
non-CoMBuStiBle waSte
waste that cannot be incinerated even if
energy is added, e.g. stones, metal
oRganiC waSte
waste that contains organic carbon, e.g. bio-
logical waste and plastic waste (compare bio
waste) (see the waste directive § 4)
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
32
PRoduCeR
those who professionally produce, transport
into Sweden or sell a product or packaging
(goods producer) or those who in their profes-
sional activities produce waste that requires
specific refuse collection or environmental
action (waste producers) (see the
environmental Code chapter 15 § 4)
PRoduCeRS’ ReSPonSiBility
Producers’ responsibility for certain identified
products throughout their entire lifecycle
including design, production and recovery as
waste
ReuSe
use of a discarded product without processing
beforehand
ReCoveRy
use, treatment or removal of materials, food-
stuffs of energy from waste (see recovery
procedure, appendix 4 to the waste directive)
ReCyCling CentRe (ÅvC)
larger manned facility for receiving bulky
waste, garden waste, electrical and hazardous
waste, etc.
waSte FRoM eleCtRiC and
eleCtRoniC equiPMent, weee
waste from electric and electronic equipment
including all components, equipment parts
and consumables that have had an electrical
or electronic function. included in producers’
responsibility (See waste directive § 6 and
the producers’ responsibility directive for
waste from electric and electronic equipment
2005:209)
waSte in BinS and BagS
the proportion of household waste that is put
into bags or bins, in other words waste exclud-
ing that for material recycling, bulky waste,
electrical and hazardous waste
white goodS
normally larger electrical household products,
e.g. dishwashers, washing machines and
refrigerators. there is no absolute definition.
See also waste from electric and electronic
equipment.
Sources: avfall Sverige, Swedish waste terminology (1998, afr-rapport 217), 1000 terms in Solid waste Management (1992, iSwa) as well as the Swedish code of statutes and the Swedish environmental Protection agency’s code of statutes.
ReCyCling Station (ÅvS)
Smaller unmanned facility for receiving pack-
aging and waste paper
Slag, BottoM aSh
Material which is neither combustible nor
becomes volatized when incinerated, e.g.
glass, porcelain, scrap iron and stone-like
material (gravel etc.). Bottom ash is obtained
after larger objects and metal remains are
removed and the material has been sifted.
SouRCe SePaRation
Sorting or separation of waste in the same
place that the waste was produced, e.g. in the
household
unManned hazaRdouS
waSte ColleCtion Point
Smaller, unmanned facility for receiving haz-
ardous household waste, often located at a
recycling centre or placed alongside a service
station
waSte
every object, chemical or substance that the
owner is disposing of, intends to dispose of or
is obliged to dispose of (see chapter 15 § 1 of
the environmental Code)
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
33
avfall Sverige – Swedish waste Management
is the Swedish interest organization within the
waste management and recycling sector. our
members are local authorities and local
authorities’ associations. Private companies
are associated members. in total, we have
approximately 400 members.
avfall Sverige’s primary task is to represent
and develop our members by creating net-
works, provide information, and to influence
decision makers.
aBout avFall SveRige – SwediSh waSte ManageMent
avfall Sverige is striving to promote the
development of environmentally sound and
sustainable waste management based on a
manifest responsibility to society.
avfall Sverige’s job is to look after our mem-
bers’ interests in waste management, a task
which encompasses separation, collection,
recycling, waste disposal, as well as issues
regarding administration, economy, informa-
tion, planning, training, and development.
avfall Sverige is Sweden’s largest environ-
mental movement. our members make
Swedish waste management work, with every-
thing that means, from collection to recycling.
we do it on behalf of the society: environmen-
tally safe, sustainable and on long term. we
are 12,000 people working together with
Swedish households and companies – togeth-
er, we perform one of Sweden’s most impor-
tant jobs!
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
34
weine wiqvist
Managing director
direct tel. no. +46 (0)40-35 66 05
Mobile no. +46 708-93 15 99
Jessica Christiansen
hazardous waste, weee
direct tel. no. +46 (0)40-35 66 18
Mobile no. +46 706-69 36 18
anna-Carin gripwall
director of Communications
direct tel. no. +46 (0)40-35 66 08
Mobile no. +46 70-662 61 28
anders hedenstedt
landfill, waste-to-energy
direct tel. no. +46 (0)40-35 66 24
Mobile no. +46 709-49 49 57
hanna hellström
Biological waste treatment: composting,
digestion, biogas
direct tel. no. +46 (0)40-35 66 23
Mobile no. +46 70-73 68 249
karin lindskog Johansson
Public Relations, batteries
direct tel. no. +46 (0)40-35 66 12
StaFFinge Johansson
waste-to-energy
direct tel. no. +46 (0)40-35 66 16
Mobile no. +46 739-88 33 99
karin Jönsson
editor of avfall och Miljö
direct tel. no. +46 (0)40-35 66 17
Sven lundgren
legal Counsellor
direct tel. no. +46 (0)40-35 66 09
Mobile no. +46 708-35 66 55
Monica lövström
Counsellor, Public Contacts
Mobile no. +46 705-35 66 42
ewa koverman
Finance assistant, invoicing
direct tel. no. +46 (0)40-35 66 04
Petra kvist Carlsson
Courses, conferences
direct tel. no. +46 (0)40-35 66 03
Mobile no. +46 708-81 96 36
Jon nilsson-djerf
Collection, transport, separation,
household and industrial waste
direct tel. no. +46 (0)40-35 66 14
Mobile no. +46 70-526 35 27
Per nilzén
development
direct tel. no. +46 (0)40-35 66 13
Mobile no. +46 70-523 24 04
ingegerd Svantesson
Public Relations, web editor
direct tel. no. +46 (0)40-35 66 07
Mobile no. +46 73-703 70 24
Pernilla Svensson
administrator/Public Relations
direct tel. no. +46 (0)40-35 66 11
Jenny westin
Statistics, public procurement, waste fees
direct tel. no. +46 (0)40-35 66 15
Mobile no. +46 70-518 40 45
Peter westling
Finance/administration Manager
direct tel. no. +46 (0)40-35 66 06
SwediSh waSte ManageMent 2009
35
address
tel. int
Fax int
Prostgatan 2, S-211 25 Malmö, Sweden
+ 46 40 356600 (switchboard)
+ 46 40-356626