Have you ever wondered how India deals or probably does not deal with its ever-growing garbage problem? Does it bother you that the whole country could turn into a huge landfill one day? Then, this article will definitely cause a stir in you.
Sweden Recycles 99% of its trash! Seems like India has a lot to learn from Sweden.
Today, the Scandinavian country has reduced its landfills to about one per cent only. Yes, you heard it right, they are moving towards zero waste! This was all because of the recycling revolution.
Don’t be surprised because there’s more to this. Their waste management system has reached such a pinnacle that Sweden now imports garbage from the UK, Italy, Norway and Ireland. The country has implanted 32 waste-to-energy (WTE) plants so far.
This recycling system has been operational in Sweden for the fifth year now. Waste for them is now a business.
Also read, Responsible ways to dispose tech waste
Annually, a Swede produces about 461 kg of waste. Waste products sitting in landfills leak methane gas and other greenhouse gasses, polluting the environment. Therefore, Sweden invented a way to reduce the seepage of toxins into the ground.
They do it by adopting a green waste management hierarchy that includes prevention (reduce), reuse, recycling alternatives (energy recovery through WTE plants), and lastly, disposal (landfill).
As per Returpack, a Swedish recycling firm, the Swedes return about 1.5 billion bottles and cans every year. The non-recyclable items go to WTE incineration plants. Here waste products are loaded in furnaces and burnt.
The steam generated after burning the garbage is utilized to spin generator turbines, producing electricity. This electricity is then transferred to transmission lines and distributed across the nation. It is said that about 950,000 homes receive heating and 260,000 get electricity from this process.
Also read, Think twice before disposing your tech waste
In 2012, Sweden had recycled 96% of its trash, reducing dependency on fossil fuels significantly. In fact, by burning two million tons of garbage they produce around 670,000 tons of fuel oil energy per year. Today, their waste has reduced to a mere 1%.
Critics are everywhere and even this process in Sweden is ridden with controversies.