Waste Management in Sweden

1
Waste Management in Sweden

• Gunnel Klingberg
• legal adviser
• RVF - Swedish Association of Waste Management
• Prostgatan 2
• S - 211 25 Malmö, Sweden
• www.rvf.se
• phone [phone]
• fax [phone]

2
Swedish Waste legislation

• Environmental Act from 1999
• Implements European environmental legislation but
  also a result of 30 years of progressive
  environmental policy
• Regulations by the government
• Site specific permits
• Waste management including hazardous waste
• Landfill ban on sorted combustible waste (2002)
  and organic waste (2005)
• Waste incineration
• Producers responsibility packaging waste, scrap
  paper, electrical and electronic waste, cars,
  tyres. Joint responsibility with the
  municipalities regarding batteries.
• Ordinances from state authorities

3
Legal responsibilities

• Municipalities
• municipal solid waste (household waste and
  similar)
• industrial hazardous waste (voluntary)
• Producers
• packaging, waste paper, tyres, cars
• electric- electronic waste
• Business
• all other waste
• Waste holder has legal responsibility to insure
  the waste treats in a health- and environmentally
  acceptable way.

4
Municipal responsibility

• Collect and transport away household waste from
  the municipality to recovery or disposal.
• Household waste excluding waste under producers
  responsibility (primarily packaging waste) but
  includes batteries, freezer and fridge
• Planning, budget, execution (voluntary)
• Public procurement
• Municipal fees cover cost of waste management, to
  be paid by property owner to municipality

5
Household waste

• Environmental code ch. 15 2 Household waste
  shall mean waste from households and similar
  waste from other activities
• Includes all wastes from all households
  (bin/sack-waste, food waste. latrine, sludge,
  furniture, bikes, garden waste, electrical waste,
  medicine, hazardous waste
• Similar waste from industries, shops and other
  activities where the waste is similar as from
  households, I.e. cantinas, restaurants, toilets
• Excludes waste from building and demolition
  (renovation?), cars, ammunition, large batteries
• Also excluding food processing industry, storage

6
Swedish waste

• 4 211 290 ton household waste 2003)
• 470 kg/inhabitant
• Increased 2001-2002 6,2 and 2002-2003 1

7
Waste treatment

• Household waste
• Total 4,2 Mton/a
• Material Recycling 31
  
• Biological Treatment 10
• Incineration with Energy recovery 45
• Landfill 13
• Hazardous waste 1
• Landfilling (non-internal industrial
  plants)Total 4.6 Mton/a
• Combustible 1.8-2.0 Mton/a
• Organic 0.5-0.8 Mton/a(non combustible)

8
Present situation - executors

• municipal/private
• Municipal solid waste, similar
• Collection 40/60
• Recovery and Disposal 95/5
• Producers responsibility
• Collection, households 30/70
• Collection. businesses 5/95
• Recycling/recovery 5/95
• Business waste
• Collection 5/95
• Recycling 2/98
• Recovery/disposal 20/80

9
Environmental objectives - waste policy

• Minimise generation of waste and reduce the
  hazardousness of waste
• The quantity of landfill waste, excluding mining
  waste, will be reduced by at least 50 by 2005
  compared with 1994. At the same time as the total
  quantity of waste generated does not increase.
• All landfill sites will conform to uniform
  standards by 2008 and will meet stringent
  environmental requirements in accordance with
  Council directive on the landfill of waste.
• At least 35 of food waste from households,
  restaurants, institutional kitchens and shops
  will by 2010 be recovered through biological
  treatment. Includes source separated waste to
  home composting as well as central treatment
  plants.

10
Active tools

• Landfill tax 40/tonLandfilling reduced by 45
  since 1994
• Landfill ban on sorted combustible waste
  2002Landfill ban on organic waste
  2005Exemptions granted for large quantities of
  waste due to lack of treatment capacity
• Extended producers responsibility increasing
  material recycling
• Information
• Legislation

11
Expectations for 2006-2008

• Increase in material recycling
• Increase ( 80 ) of biological treatment
  (composting and digestion)
• Increased ( 50 ) incineration
• Extreme drop of landfill
• Increased source separation, all waste types