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1 │ Swedish Waste Management 2019

Swedish Waste Management2019


Contents

Preface ................................................................................................. 3

How Swedish waste management works .........................................4-6

Waste quantities 2019 ......................................................................7-9

Prevention and reuse .....................................................................10-11

Collection and transport ...............................................................12-14

Sludge and latrine waste ................................................................15-16

Hazardous waste ................................................................................17

WEEE and batteries ..................................................................... 18-19

Swedish household waste 2019 ....................................................20-21

Material recycling .........................................................................22-25

Biological treatment .....................................................................26-29

Energy recovery ............................................................................30-33

Waste treatment plants with landfills ..........................................34-37

Customers, charges and costs ......................................................38-39

Total quantity of waste generated in Sweden ................................... 40

The year in brief .................................................................................41

Waste agenda ..................................................................................... 42

About Avfall Sverige .....................................................................43-46

Employees .......................................................................................... 47


PrefaceHappily, this year’s statistics show that the amount of residual waste has decreased by four percent and the collection of food waste has increased by seven percent. There has also been an increase in the collection of packaging waste. The proportion of municipalities with four-compartment kerbside collection from detached houses has increased from 15 percent to 19 percent. Taken together, these figures show that increased kerbside collection seems to yield results.

Food and residual waste decreased by a total of three percent, from 216 kg to 209 kg per person. This is a positive step towards reaching our shared goal of reducing food and residual waste by 25 percent from 2015 to 2025. But much more needs to be done so we can reach our goal together!

We can also see that a lot of garden waste was collected in 2019, which was a favourable year for growth. This is reflected in the statistics for composting and energy recovery, both of which are increasing because of it.

Many decisions affecting the waste industry were made in 2019, both in Sweden and in the EU. In Sweden, there was government collaboration on a 73-point programme with several issues related to waste and the environment. The EU decided to ban a number of disposable plastic items and released its “Green Deal”, which is a description of how Europe will be the first continent to become climate neutral by 2050. The Green Deal contains 50 points, which will lead the way to climate-neutral production and consumption.

The first half of 2020 was intense, to say the least. The Corona pandemic has forced us to make changes, both professionally and privately. This is particularly noticeable at Sweden's recycling centres. It will be interesting to see how it will be reflected in next year's statistics. A lot has also happened on the political level, and we can see that several points of the 73-point programme have been implemented. For example, a tax on waste incineration has been introduced, despite scathing criticism from both the industry and the Swedish Council on Legislation. In addition, inquiries into a deposit system for electronics and producer responsibility for textiles have been launched. Not least, the Government has announced that it intends to abolish producer responsibility for recyclable paper and thus deviate from the principle that the polluter pays. This was done without formally consulting with the municipalities before deciding which direction to take. This development could potentially result in thousands of tonnes of recyclable paper ending up in waste bins, breaking the residual waste reduction trend we are seeing. This is concerning!

Swedish Waste Management 2019 is intended for actors in the waste management industry, decision makers, authorities, educational institutions, the media and all other stakeholders. Using text, diagrams and tables we describe the management of household waste in Sweden. Statistics are primarily taken from the Avfall Sverige web-based statistics system, Avfall Web, and from authorities and producer organisations.

As a new element in this year’s Swedish Waste Management, we have added a brief presentation of Avfall Sverige’s operations and what has happened in the industry during the year.

Malmö, June 2020

Tony Clark, Managing DirectorAvfall Sverige


How Swedish waste management works

Preventing the creation of waste is the top step in the waste hierarchy. It is the priority of both Swedish and European waste legislation.

The waste hierarchy priority is: » waste prevention » reuse » material recycling and biological treatment » other recycling, e.g. energy recovery » disposal, e.g. to landfill.

According to the definition in the Swedish Environmental Code1, waste is any matter or object that the bearer disposes of, intends to dispose of, or is obligated to dispose of.

There are different methods for treating waste2: » material recycling » biological treatment » energy recovery » landfill.

Waste hierarchy

Landfill

Energyrecovery

Recycle

Reuse

Reduce

1 Swedish Environmental Code (1998:808), chapter 15, § 102 Avfall Sverige Report 2017:23 Right item to the right treatment. Material recycling, waste incineration and the detoxification of society

Hazardous waste can be treated using one or more of these methods, depending on its properties. Waste that may contain hazardous substances should not be recycled, but rather phased out of the eco-cycle. Recycling means that the waste will be used as replacement for another material.

Preparation for reuse is also a recovery operation. According to the definition, preparation for reuse means inspecting, cleaning or repairing any item that is waste so it can be reused without further treatment.

Material recovery saves energy and natural resources, thereby reducing environmental impact. Biological treatment closes the eco-cycle, produces electricity and biogas, and returns nutrients to the soil. Energy recovery refers to the extraction of energy from waste to provide both district heating and electricity. Landfill entails waste being stored in a manner that is safe in the long-term.


THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF MUNICIPALITIESUnder the Swedish Environmental Code, each municipality is responsible for ensuring that household waste3 within the municipality is transported and recycled or disposed of. The term household waste refers to waste that comes from households and equivalent waste from businesses such as restaurants, shops, offices, etc.

Every municipality is required by law to have its own waste and sanitation ordinance which consists of a waste plan and regulations for waste management4. Municipalities can collaborate and draw up common regional waste plans.

The municipalities are working at increasing rates to promote the prevention and reuse of waste. Preparation for reuse of household waste is part of the municipal responsibility. The municipalities also have a duty to inform about waste management and about the content of the waste plans.

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PRODUCERSSweden has producer responsibility for: » recyclable paper* » packaging » waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) » tyres » cars » batteries » pharmaceuticals.

A producer is an entity that imports, produces or otherwise puts a product on the market. Producers are responsible for collecting and disposing of end-of-life products, usually through so-called material companies created for different producer responsibilities. This means that there must be suitable collection systems and treatment methods for recycling.

3 Avfall Sverige Guide #4: The meaning of “household waste” as a term. As of 1 August 2020, the term “household waste” will be replaced by the term “municipal waste”.4 Avfall Sverige Report 2017:01 Basis for the waste disposal regulations in the Municipal Waste Regulation Ordinance

* The matter if terminating producer responsibility for recyclable paper is the subject of an inquiry, https://www.regeringen.se

Producer responsibility is also intended to encourage producers to develop products that are more economic with resources, easier to recycle and do not contain substances which are harmful to the environment. In their information about waste, the municipalities are also obliged to inform about the responsibility of producers. This is done, inter alia, through the national waste portal sopor.nu, which is a collaboration between Avfall Sverige and several other actors.

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF HOUSEHOLDSHouseholds are responsible for separating and depositing waste at available collection points. They must also follow the municipality's rules for waste management.

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BUSINESSESBusinesses are responsible for disposing of non-household waste and waste that is not covered by producer responsibility.

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURESThe municipalities must choose themselves how waste management is organised. Local government autonomy is part of the Swedish Constitution.

There are several organisational structures available: » self-administration » municipal enterprise, owned independently or jointly

with other municipalities » joint board » municipal association.

Since 2019, the Local Government Act contains a regulation allowing municipalities to enter into agreements whereby one of its duties is performed in whole or in part by another municipality (contractual cooperation). The provision does not constitute an exception to the requirement to apply the Swedish Public Procurement Act (LOU). Moreover, the provision does not in any way expand the exemption for procurement between contracting authorities according to LOU, but does entail an opportunity to use the exemption to a greater extent.


If the exemption in accordance with LOU is fulfilled, municipalities can namely establish the cooperation without the requirement for fulfilment of the location principle in the Local Government Act.

The waste sector has a long history of collaboration between municipalities. As the sector has faced greater and greater demands, the collaborations have grown in scope and have undergone development and expansion. Collaboration between municipalities is a natural operational structure, providing the greatest possible environmental and social benefit, managing waste cost effectively and ensuring the requisite competencies are in place. Municipalities can also cooperate in relation to specific issues, such as joint procurement.

READ MORE:Avfall Sverige Report 2019:22 Household waste in figures – municipal and county statistics 2018

Waste management organisation 2019

There are also regional companies that do not officially take over the municipal waste responsibility, e.g. Sysav, Renova and Sörab.A total of 30 municipalities cooperate in such regional companies.

Service providers for the collection of food and residual waste 2019

Municipal self-administration 113 39 %Municipal association 47 16 %Joint boards 7 2,4 %Municipal enterprise, wholly-owned 53 18 %Municipal enterprise, partially-owned 70 24 %

Breakdown of responsibilities Number PrecentageMunicipalities

Solely private contractors 66 %Solely in-house 30 %Combination of in-house and contractors 4 %

Percentage of municipalities

PRIVATE CONTRACTORS OR IN-HOUSEIn 66 percent of the country's municipalities, the collection of food and residual waste is primarily carried out by private contractors. 30 percent of municipalities carry out collection themselves, and the others use a combination of private contractors and in-house collection services. There has been a clear increase in the number of municipalities carrying out collection in-house as the proportion was 25 percent in 2014. This follows an international trend and stems from the municipalities' desire for greater flexibility and control.

Waste treatment is either undertaken by the municipalities themselves, or by an external contractor, which can be a different municipality, a different municipal enterprise or a private company. The distribution between the various structures depends on the method of waste treatment.


Waste quantities 2019

In 2019, the quantity of household waste treated was 4,818,510 tonnes. For the population as a whole, every Swede produced 467 kg of household waste in 2019, the same quantity as in 2018.

35 percent, 1,668,550 tonnes, went to material recycling, including the recycling of construction material. This corresponds to 161 kg/person and is at the same level as last year.

685,980 tonnes were sent to biological treatment. This corresponds to 67 kg/person. This is a decrease compared to 2018. One explanation for the decrease in treated food waste could be that the plants have become better at reporting treated quantities exclusive of dilution water. 14 percent of household waste underwent biological treatment in 2019.

Energy recovery rose by almost 2 percent to 2,426,610 tonnes, or 235 kg/person. 50 percent of household waste went to energy recovery in 2019.

The amount of household waste sent to landfill increased by 13 percent to 37,370 tonnes, or 4 kg/person. Landfill accounts for 0.8 percent of the total amount of the waste managed.

HOUSEHOLD WASTE THROUGHOUT THE EUIt is difficult to compare statistics within the EU because the countries apply different concepts and measurement methods. The latest statistics, which are for 2018, show that household waste quantities in the EU amounted to 489 kg per person for the population as a whole. 47 percent of the household waste was treated through material recycling, including biological treatment. In total, 28 percent went to energy recovery and 23 percent was sent to landfill within the EU65. Once the revised EU Waste Directive is implemented, more comparable definitions will gradually lead to clearer and more accurate statistics.

5 All EU statistics are available at http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat

Waste trend 2015-2019

The household waste statistics are primarily taken from the Avfall Sverige web-based statistics system, Avfall Web, and from producer organisations. Avfall Web is a tool used by the municipalities for development, benchmarking and statistics. Municipalities and treatment plants report information on waste management and the quantities collected and treated. This information then forms the basis of national household waste statistics.

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2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Material recyclingRecycling ofconstruction materials

Biological treatmentEnergy recoveryLandfill


Overview 1975-2019

Movement indicators F1 and F2

Collected volumes vs volumes actually treated 2019

The figure shows the volumes that enter the treatment process and the volumes that are actually treated for different treatment methods. There is a clear difference between the collected volumes, which are usually based on the statistics, and how the waste volumes are actually treated. For material recycling and biological treatment through anaerobic digestion, the difference between volumes collected and volumes treated is made up of rejects (sorting losses). These reject volumes primarily go to energy recovery. For material recycling, some waste from the energy recovery step is added since metals from the bottom ash are sorted out for material recycling. The waste volumes actually sent to landfill are significantly greater than the volumes collected for landfill. One reason for this is fly ash from energy recovery that is sent to landfill.

Avfall Sverige has developed indicators for resource-efficient waste management and a tool for monitoring development and work with Avfall Sverige's “Zero Waste” vision. Movement indicator F1 shows the movement along the waste ladder. The indicator is calculated based on the actual quantity treated on each rung and not the amount collected. There has been steady movement up the ladder since the mid-1970s, but we have still not reached the halfway mark. Indicator F2 also takes into account the change in the total amount of household waste generated. All quantities over the quantities from 1994 lower the position value with the same value as prevented waste raises the position value.

Material recycling includes the recycling of construction material

Millions of tonnes

1994 2015 -192010200520001975

Biological treatment

Landfill

Material recycling

Energy recovery

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F1: position on the waste ladderF2: Position on the waste ladder withconsideration given to increase in waste quantity

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Treated volumes of household waste 2015–2019 (tonnes)2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Material recycling 1,452,300 1,468,250 1,462,060 1,500,950 1,521,760Recycling of construction material 210,730 156,830 165,200 145,770 146,790Biological treatment 714,020 757,480 731,880 732,660 685,980Energy recovery 2,284,210 2,262,610 2,400,440 2,362,160 2,426,610Landfill 38,300 31,000 23,650 32,710 37,370Total quantity treated 4,699,560 4,676,170 4,783,230 4,774,250 4,818,510

Treated volumes of household waste 2015–2019 (kg/person)2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Material recycling 147 147 144 147 147Recycling of construction material 21 16 16 14 14Biological treatment 72 76 72 72 67Energy recovery 232 226 237 231 235Landfill 4 3 2 3 4Total quantity treated 477 468 473 467 467

Treated volumes of household waste 2015–2019 (%)Proportion, % 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019Material recycling 30.9 31.5 30.6 31.4 31.6Recycling of construction material 4.5 3.4 3.5 3.1 3.0Biological treatment 15.2 16.2 15.3 15.3 14.2Energy recovery 48.6 48.5 50.2 49.5 50.4Landfill 0.8 0.7 0.5 0.7 0.8

Collected volumes of food waste, residual waste, and bulky waste, 2015–2019 (tonnes)2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Food and residual waste 2,221,280 2,240,690 2,213,540 2,214,320 2,162,230 of which food waste 336,940 358,790 373,100 389,810 417,430Bulky waste 1,773,930 1,725,670 1,760,140 1,685,670 1,730,570

Collected volumes of food waste, residual waste, and bulky waste 2015–2019 (kg/person)2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Food and residual waste 225 224 219 216 209 of which food waste 34 36 37 38 40Bulky waste 180 173 174 165 168

Hazardous waste is included under material recycling or energy recovery depending on the recycling method.The term “waste in bins and bags” has been replaced with the term “food and residual waste”, which consists of both combustible household waste and source-separated food waste.



Prevention and reuse

Preventing the creation of waste is the first step in the waste hierarchy. It is the priority of both Swedish and European waste legislation. All EU member states must have national programmes to both reduce the amount of waste and reduce the amount of hazardous substances in the waste.

PREVENTING WASTE LEADS TO THE GREATEST ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITPreventing waste means both reducing waste volumes and reducing the amount of hazardous substances in the waste, which must occur during the production stage. The municipalities play an important role in this work, but manufacturers and producers must also give consideration to prevention when designing the products.

25/25 GOALAvfall Sverige has set a new goal: to reduce the total volume of food and residual waste by at least 25 percent per person (compared to 2015) by the year 2025 – our 25/25 goal. The purpose of the goal is to increased our pace as we climb up the waste hierarchy. The goal is voluntary for all municipalities to take on. In 2015, the average volume of food and residual waste was 225 kg per person nationally. 25 percent represents an average reduction of 56 kg, making the remaining volume of food and residual waste 169 kg. By 2019, the quantity of food and residual waste decreased by 7 percent (16 kg/person) to 209 kg.

TOOLS FOR PREVENTIONAvfall Sverige is continuously striving to develop tools to support municipalities in their efforts to prevent waste. One such tool is a work method that involves working with waste prevention in a structured manner within a municipal organisation. The method has been tested and has resulted in a reduction in both waste volumes and costs. The work method is described in a handbook6.

New communication material that has been produced is “10 sätt att minska ditt avfall” [10 ways to reduce your waste]. The material presents 10 simple ways for private individuals to reduce their waste. The material consists of several films and graphic products that can be used in several different ways. There are tips for reducing both food and residual waste, and the material is well suited for use with the 25/25 goal and other initiatives.

Another tool is the “Miljönär” label, which was developed by Avfall Sverige and is used by the municipalities to inspire sustainable consumption. The label aims to draw attention to organisations that make it possible for the public to repair, share or reuse, or to reduce waste in any other way. The website, miljönär.se, contains a map marking all of the Miljönär-labelled organisations in the country and provides tips on how to reduce waste volumes.

Avfall Sverige is also focusing on “invisible waste”, i.e. waste that occurs at the production stage and the consumer does not see. The volume of this waste is often significantly larger than the actual product when it becomes waste. For example, a mobile phone, which weighs about 200 grams, generates 86 kg of waste in the production stage. Expanding waste prevention to the production stage will lead to significant environmental benefits.

Since 2009, Avfall Sverige has been the national coordinator of the EU project “European Week for Waste Reduction”, which is also supported by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. The project runs for one week in November, when activities aimed at reducing the amount of waste and the quantity of hazardous substances in waste are arranged all over Europe. This campaign can also be used by the municipalities in their work to reduce waste. Information on the project is available at avfallsverige.se and www.ewwr.eu.

6 Avfall Sverige Report 2017:17 Handbook for preventing waste in the municipality – Methods and inspiration


There are several ways to work with waste prevention in a waste plan. Some municipalities choose to only have general goals, while others have measurable targets and specify concrete actions. The work with municipal waste plans has been compiled in a report7, which can also be used in waste prevention work.

REUSEReuse is defined as a measure that involves a product or component that is not waste being used again for the same purpose as it was originally intended. Preparing for reuse involves waste management that applies to inspection, cleaning or repair to enable products or components submitted as waste to be reused.

Collection for reuse has increased at the recycling centres in recent years, and is an issue that the municipalities are actively working on. At present, almost 60 percent of the country's recycling centres have simpler means for accepting materials for reuse, such as household goods and furniture, often in collaboration with aid organisations that sell or donate the material. There are also recycling centres with recycling parks that have expanded operations, such as repairs and sales. Several municipalities have plans to develop their recycling centre to a centre for repair, rental, borrowing, and exchanging and sharing activities8.

To facilitate the prevention and reuse work of the municipalities, Avfall Sverige has published a guide that explains the legal requirements9.

READ MORE:Avfall Sverige Report 2017:38 Communication support for prevention coachesAvfall Sverige Report 2018:18 Sharing gadgets, space, vehicles and time – A guide to sharing economy in the municipalitiesAvfall Sverige Report 2018:29 Potential for increased reuse – case study recycling centresAvfall Sverige Report 2019:32 Reuse of construction and demolition materials and products in municipalitiesAvfall Sverige Report 2018:30 Measuring edible food waste – a pre-studyAvfall Sverige Report 2019:08 Results and experiences from using Avfall Sverige’s waste prevention method – “Översta steget” [Top step] and other projectsAvfall Sverige Report 2019:19 Climate impact from different waste fractionsAvfall Sverige Report 2019:21 Mapping of edible food waste initiativeAvfall Sverige Report 2019:25 Waste prevention and reuse in municipal waste plansAvfall Sverige Report 2020:08 Good examples of municipal reuse work

Good examples of reuse activities can be found in Infobasen at avfallsverige.se

Collection of materials and textiles for reuse

amounted to 34,580 tonnes in 2019. + 156%

since 2014

Secondhand

Collected material for reuse2015–2019

The diagram shows the volumes that the municipality itself, or in cooperation with reuse operators, have collected at recycling centres/recycling parks, etc. It is nowhere near providing a complete picture of the volumes handled for reuse in the community.

7 Avfall Sverige Report 2019:25 Waste prevention and reuse in municipal waste plans8 Avfall Sverige Report 2020:08 Good examples of municipal reuse work9 Avfall Sverige Guide #9: Legal requirements for prevention and reuse

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Collection and transport

The volume of food waste collected increased by 7 percent to 417,430 tonnes, amounting to 40 kg/ person. In 2019, 238 of the country's 290 municipalities had separate collection of source-separated food waste.

There are a number of different systems for collecting and transporting household waste. Household food and residual waste can be collected either as a mixed fraction for energy recovery (a practice that most municipalities have now discontinued) or in separate fractions – one for food waste and one for combustible waste. The waste is then usually collected in two separate bins.

Mixed combustible residual waste from single-family houses is generally collected in 190 litre bins that are emptied every fortnight. There are also a number of different bin sizes emptied at different intervals. Waste from apartment blocks is usually collected on a weekly basis.

To achieve higher degrees of material recycling, kerbside collection of packaging and recyclable paper from households is being introduced.10 This is also the intention of the new ordinance amendments11 for packaging and recyclable paper*. Kerbside/neighbourhood collection shall be expanded and be the primarily collection methods so as to increase material recycling. Different methods are used for collection from single-family houses. One example of this the four-compartment system, where the property has two large bins with four compartments each (eight fractions in total), but there are also variants with different numbers of compartments in the bins. Another system is the collection of different fractions in different coloured bags, which are then sorted optically.

The volume of collected food and residual waste per person decreased by

3 percent compared to 2018209 kg/person

2,162,230 tonnes,

At present, over 50 percent of the apartment blocks have kerbside collection of packaging and newspapers, where the fractions are collected in separate bins or underground containers. Here too, you can find collection with different coloured bags for different fractions, followed by optical sorting.

Statistics show that the total volume of collected packaging and recyclable paper per person is higher in municipalities with kerbside collection.12

60 PERCENT INCORRECTLY SORTEDOver 60 percent of the contents of household rubbish bags could be recycled13. This can be food waste, packaging and recyclable paper. Half a percent of the contents of the rubbish bag consists of hazardous waste, batteries and WEEE.

VEHICLES AND FUELRear-loading vehicles are still the most predominant waste collection vehicles, but side-loading vehicles are also common. The proportion of multi-compartment vehicles is increasing as a growing number of municipalities’ transition to kerbside collection in multi-compartment bins.

The choice of fuel can be controlled by the requirements the municipality sets during procurement. On average, biogas represents 38 percent of the volumes consumed. In recent years, there has been a clear shift from fossil diesel to various forms of biodiesel, such as HVO, which is a synthetic diesel made from e.g. slaughterhouse or grain waste.

10 Avfall Sverige Report 2017:22 Basis for decision making on introduction of new collection systems. Mapping and analysis.11 Read more about the new ordinances in Avfall Sverige Guide #21 2018 packaging and recyclable paper ordinances and requirements for household food waste col-lection12 Avfall Sverige Report 2019:22 Household waste in figures – municipal and county statistics 201813 Avfall Sverige Report 2016:28 What do households put in their waste bins?



There are 583 recycling centres throughout the country, with

30 million visits annually.

In 2019, households turned in

1,730,570 tonnes (+3%)of bulky waste,

with the majority at the municipalities’ manned recycling centres

168kg/person

Volume of bulky waste

equals

Hybrid electric vehicles and electric vehicles have great potential for the waste industry and are being tested here and there, albeit on a smaller scale. In addition to the environmental benefits, electric vehicles also significantly reduce noise levels during operation and emptying.

Through procurement, municipalities can impose requirements on the adaptation of waste bins and vehicles for health and safety at work.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE COLLECTION SYSTEMWaste collection previously meant heavy lifting and many work-related injuries, but today bags have been replaced by bins or other types of containers, providing a better working environment.

In many places, manual waste handling has been replaced by new technology and automated systems such as vacuum waste collection and underground container systems. Both of these systems are on the increase, particularly in the cities and in newly built areas. In addition to aesthetics and design, an advantage is that they do not require any heavy manual handling during emptying. Vacuum waste collection is a fully automated system which reduces the need for transports, particularly in residential areas. The vacuum waste collection system collects waste pneumatically in an automated vacuum system. This is then transported through underground tubes from the refuse chutes to collection points, where the waste is collected.

Underground containers is a fast-growing collection system throughout the country. Containers placed underground reduce the need for space at street level. The temperature underground is relatively low, which prevents bad odours. The containers are emptied using a vehicle with loader crane.

14 Avfall Sverige Report 2017:11 Safety at recycling centres

There are also underground containers that can be emptied using a front loader vehicle. Because underground containers hold larger volumes, the number of trips can be reduced.

RECYCLING CENTRESAt the manned municipal recycling centres, households can hand in bulky waste, garden waste, WEEE and hazardous waste. Bulky waste is household waste that is too heavy, too bulky or otherwise inappropriate for collection in bags or bins.

In several places in the country, there are unmanned recycling centres where households can leave their waste. In order to access these recycling centres, the visitor must have completed a short training programme in sorting.

There are also mobile recycling centres, manned mobile centres that accept e.g. hazardous waste, some bulky waste and usually also WEEE. A number of municipalities are also conducting trials with neighbourhood recycling centres.

The recycling centres handle hazardous household waste, with the risks that this can involve when the waste is received, sorted and transported. In order to create a safe environment for visitors and staff continuous occupational health and safety work is undertaken on risk assessment, the correct protective gear and secure premises for handling the hazardous waste.

Many of Sweden’s recycling centres have been greatly affected by thefts and break-ins14. Personnel have also been threatened by visitors. Many of the larger, newly-built recycling centres have therefore installed various technical security solutions, such as electric fences or surveillance cameras. Some have employed security firms during particularly vulnerable periods.


READ MORE:Avfall Sverige Report 2017:31 Manual for solid waste analysis of household food and residual wasteAvfall Sverige Report 2018:10 Access control systems at recycling centresAvfall Sverige Report 2018:11 Kerbside collection in an urban environmentAvfall Sverige Report 2018:16 Waste planning handbookAvfall Sverige Report 2018:32 Build a recycling centre! Updated manual for designing recycling centresAvfall Sverige Report 2018:37 Good examples of mobile recycling centres

Most common collection systems for single-family houses

Two separate bins(one for food waste,

one for residual waste)

49%

Only one bin19%

Multi-compartment bins (primarily four-compartment)

19%

Different coloured bags for optical sorting

(usually food waste+residual waste, but there is also residual

waste+food waste+newspapers/packaging waste)

12%

Fuel for the collection of food and residual waste 2019

The diagram shows the distribution of fuel consumed in the collection of food and residual waste, based on total volumes. The information is based on the data registered in Avfall Web by 139 municipalities. These may have more renewable fuels than Sweden as a whole.

To improves safety, obtain a functional access control system and improve visitor statistics, several municipalities have introduced a barrier system, where visitors access the centre with their driving licence or an entry pass. The access control system is often combined with a number of free visits. In several municipalities, owners of small businesses may also use the services provided at the recycling centres for a fee.

RECYCLING STATIONSThe producer system through Förpacknings- och Tidningsinsamlingen, FTI, has approximately 5,000 unmanned recycling stations for the receipt of packaging and recyclable paper* that are intended to cover the entire country. Collection systems should be based on consultation between the producers and municipalities.

COLLECTING COOKING OILThere are municipalities that collect source-separated cooking oil, mainly to reduce operating problems and blockages in drainage systems. However, cooking oil can also be recycled or reused. There are different methods for collecting and treating the oil15. One system is that households pour the cooking oil into a container with a tight seal and then hand it in at a recycling centre. An alternative is to dispose of the container of cooking oil in residual waste, which is sent to energy recovery. There are various recovery and treatment options for the source-separated and collected cooking oil. It can be used: » as a raw material for the chemical industry » in anaerobic digestion for biogas production » in the production of biofuel.

15 Avfall Sverige Report 2015:07 Cooking oil sorting and treatment – good examples from municipalities and housing companies


Biogas 38%HVO/Other renewable 38 %Diesel 17 %Natural gas 7 %


Sludge and latrine waste Collecting and treating latrine waste, sludge and other fractions from small, private sewers falls under municipal waste responsibility. Sludge from sludge separators and blackwater from closed tanks are often treated at municipal wastewater treatment plants together with other incoming sewage. However, Revaq-certified wastewater treatment plants16 are finding it more and more difficult to take in sludge from sludge separators as it often has low nutrient content and a relatively high Cd/P ratio. Other options for sludge disposal are therefore needed17. The treatment charge for sludge from sludge separators averaged SEK 134 per tonne, excluding VAT, in 2019. Almost 40 percent of the sludge from private sewers was used on agricultural land, and 31 percent was used to cap landfills.

191 municipalities have reported that they handle 56,940 latrine waste collections per year, in total 1,780 tonnes of latrine waste. The scope varies from one latrine waste collection per year in certain municipalities to up to 7,500 collections in municipalities with many second homes. The number of latrine waste collections has decreased by 26 percent since 2012. Many municipalities have systematically worked to phase out latrine waste collection for reasons related to occupational health and safety.

Solutions for reducing phosphorous in individual plants, such as phosphorous traps18 and micro treatment plants19, have been installed in recent years. This is in response to requirements imposed on the reduction of emissions that cause eutrophication. Filter material from phosphorous traps and sludge from micro treatment plants are classed as household waste, and it is municipal waste management services that are responsible for removal, treatment and disposal. Only a small number of municipalities have replacement routines for phosphorous traps, and only 140 tonnes of phosphorus filter material was collected in 2019.

SLUDGE COLLECTION88 percent of municipalities employ private contractors for the collection of sludge; 9 percent undertake this in-house and the remaining 3 percent use a combination. Just under half of the 200 municipalities that provided information in Avfall Web run entirely on renewable fuels, such as HVO and biogas.Sludge collection can be done using different techniques, namely full drainage, partial drainage and mobile

dewatering. With full drainage, the entire contents of the sludge separator are drained and transported away. With mobile dewatering, the content of the sludge separator is suctioned up and dewatered, either by mechanical separation or with the help of polymers. Partial drainage involves suctioning up the bottom sludge and floating sludge and leaving the water phase or returning it to the sludge separator. Partial emptying can be performed with a one-compartment or two-compartment vehicle. 79 percent of the municipalities use full drainage, 10 percent use mobile dewatering, and 11 percent use partial drainage.

Sludge collection is often hard and physically tiring with several manual operations such as pulling hoses long distances and lifting heavy manhole covers and hard sludge cake. The municipalities are working actively to make long-term improvements to the working environment. Cooperation is required between the various actors to strategically and systematically work on occupational health and safety issues. Taking inventory of and documenting the municipality's collection points is an important component in improvement, and is crucial to a sound and transparent procurement process20.

CERTIFICATIONCertification requirements for systems to ensure the quality of fractions from small sewers, SPCR 178, have been in force since 2012. The requirements were updated in 2019. The regulations regard source-sorted sewer fractions such as WC wastewater, latrine waste and urine. Other source-sorted organic raw materials can be approved if they do not negatively impact any part of the treatment and they have a positive effect on the end product. One example is food waste from kitchen food waste disposers. There is no limit in terms of how many may be connected to the sewer systems that the source-sorted fractions come from. Sewer fractions like sludge from sludge separators and greywater cannot be certified. For the plant to be certified, the sewer fractions must meet basic criteria21.

SUSTAINABLE SLUDGE MANAGEMENTIn January 2020, the government inquiry into non-toxic and circular recycling of phosphorous from sewage sludge submitted its report on sustainable sludge management to the Government. The inquiry proposes a ban on the spreading of sewage sludge and, as a main alternative, an exemption for spreading high-quality sludge on agricultural land.22

16 Revaq certification applies to sludge from treatment plants; see svensktvatten.se17 Avfall Sverige Report 2016:20 Dewatering of sludge from small wastewater treatment plants – quality and disposal18 Avfall Sverige Guide #19 Phosphorous filters – handling and replacement19 Avfall Sverige Report U 2013:14 Micro treatment plants in private sewers20 Avfall Sverige Guide #13: Sustainable occupational health and safety during sludge collection from private sewers21 Avfall Sverige Report 2018:19 Ammonia hygienisation of source-sorted sewer fractions from Swedish households. Underlying data from updating SPCR 178 “Systems to ensure the quality of fractions from small sewers”.22 Sustainable sludge management SOU 2020:3


READ MORE:Avfall Sverige Report 2016:07 Sustainable eco-cycle of small sewersAvfall Sverige Report 2016:12 Drainage of sludge separators – comparative study of full drainage, mobile dewatering and partial drainageAvfall Sverige Report 2019:02 Sludge collection with two-compartment vehicle. Smaller amount to transport and treat – better environment!Avfall Sverige Report 2020:16 A comparative study of two sludge collection techniques – full drainage and mobile dewatering with polymers

GREASE SEPARATORS AND COMBINATION SYSTEMSSludge from grease separators can constitute both household waste and business waste.23 Avfall Sverige finds that it is household waste if there is a mixture of grease from plate scrapings from the serving aspect and grease from food preparation in the kitchen, which is the most common solution in restaurants with table service. 145,900 tonnes of sludge from 16,800 grease separators were treated by the municipalities in 2019 (data from 185 municipalities). On average, each system is emptied 3.3 times per year, but there is great variation from once a year to twelve times a year in some municipalities. 80 percent of the grease separator sludge undergoes anaerobic digestion, primarily at municipal wastewater treatment plants. The treatment charge amounted to SEK 408 per tonne, excluding VAT. Systems in which a kitchen food waste disposer with food waste separator is connected in series with a grease separator, referred to as combination systems, have recently been introduced in some municipalities24.

Number of individual wastewater treatment plants 2019

Total number of individual wastewater treatment plants 667,040Sludge separators, number of plants 476,400Sludge separators, number of collections 537,590

Closed tanks, number of plants 84,380Closed tanks, number of collections 152,520

The table is based on data from 236 municipalities that registered data in Avfall Web.

23 On 19 March, the Land and Environment Court announced their ruling in case no. M 6924-19. The ruling states that grease waste and grease from grease separators from McDonald’s restaurants in Stockholm shall be considered business waste.24 Avfall Sverige Report 2018:35 Grease separators and combination systems with separators for food waste and grease

Sludge collection service providers 2019

Solely private contractors 88 % Solely in-house 9 % Combination of in-houseand contractors 3 %

Sludge collection technique 2019

Full drainage 79 %Dewatering technique 10 %Partial drainage(two-compartment vehicle) 8 %Partial drainage (single-compartment vehicle) 3 %

Disposal of sludge 2019

Agricultural or forest land 37 %Capping of landfills 31 %Planting soil 15 %Other use 17 %

Number of latrine waste collections 2015–2019

Number of micro treatment plants and phosphorous traps 2012–2019

Collection charges 2019

no.

201920182017201620150

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

tonnes

2015 20192012Micro sewage works Phosphorous traps

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

SEK/collection, incl. VAT

LatrineSludgeseparator

Closedtanks

Grease-separators

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000


25 Hazardous waste is waste that Annex 4 of the Swedish Waste Ordinance describes with a waste code marked with an asterisk (*).26 Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Report Waste in Sweden 201827 Avfall Sverige Report 2017:21 Where does hazardous waste go?28 Avfall Sverige Report 2015:23 Kerbside and consumer-oriented collection of hazardous waste from households

Hazardous waste

78,790 tonnes of hazardous waste25 were collected from households in 2019, an increase of 4 percent compared to 2018. This corresponds to almost 8 kg per capita. This also includes 52,680 tonnes of impregnated wood and 2,810 tonnes of asbestos. Hazardous waste in the form of paint, chemicals and oil waste amounted to 23,300 tonnes. Asbestos and hazardous waste like paint have decreased, while impregnated wood has increased.

To detoxify the eco-cycle, it is important that hazardous waste be separated and handed in properly and in the right place. Hazardous substances may be found in extremely small quantities in some products, but taken as a whole they can cause substantial harm if they end up in the wrong place.

The municipalities are responsible for the collection, transport and treatment of hazardous waste from households. This responsibility is regulated by the Swedish Environmental Code, the Swedish Waste Ordinance and the municipal waste regulations.

Households have an obligation to separate hazardous waste from other household waste. Most municipalities have regulated this obligation in the municipal refuse collection regulations.

There are no exact details on the amount of hazardous waste produced by industry, but according to the latest official waste statistics, reported to the EU by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, 2.9 million tonnes of hazardous waste were produced in Sweden in 2018. The waste came mainly from construction, the household sector, service providers, energy supply, metal and metal products, and the manufacture of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and plastic products. Of this, approximately 343,000 tonnes were exported26

to European treatment plants27.

COLLECTION SYSTEMSThe most common collection system for hazardous household waste is dropping it off at manned municipal recycling centres. A survey conducted by Avfall Sverige shows that almost half of the country's municipalities also practice some type of kerbside collection of hazardous household waste28. Some municipalities have recycling collection vehicles as a complement to recycling centres.

Pharmaceutical products fall under producer responsibility and must be turned in to a pharmacy.

Hazardous waste dropped off at collection or waste treatment plants often requires pre-treatment. As hazardous waste may contain substances which are to be phased out of the eco-cycle, treatment is often aimed at destroying these substances. Substances that cannot be rendered harmless or reused are taken to landfill. In such cases, it is important that the waste be chemically and physically stable so that hazardous substances do not leak out into the surrounding environment.

Volume of hazardous waste collected 2000–2019

tonnes

-10 -19-15-00 -05

Collected quantities of hazardous waste (excl. impregnated timber and asbestos)Collected quantities of hazardous waste (including impregnated timber)

Collected quantities of hazardous waste (including asbestos and impregnated timber)

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000


WEEE and batteries

COLLECTION SYSTEMSSince producer responsibility for electrical and electronic products29 was introduced in Sweden in 2001, municipalities and producers have cooperated on the collection of WEEE. Avfall Sverige, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, and the electrical producers’ service company, El-Kretsen, are collaborating on the "El-retur" system. The municipalities undertake, in return for remuneration, to be responsible for the collection of WEEE from households, while the producers are responsible for its treatment. In turn "El-Kretsen" collaborates with Recipo, an economic association that also represents the producers.

Avfall Sverige and El-Kretsen collaborate with several municipalities on different projects to develop these collection systems. Collection of WEEE from households is primarily carried out at the 583 manned municipal recycling centres found throughout the country. But, the majority of municipalities have several different collection systems for WEEE, both kerbside and consumer-oriented30.

More than half of the municipalities have some form of consumer-oriented collection of hazardous waste, for example in shops or other public places.

Since 2015, shops are responsible for taking in WEEE. Large shops that sell electronics are required to collect all types of consumer electronics smaller than 25 cm, even if the consumer does not buy anything. For other shops, a one-for-one principle applies, i.e. if you buy a product you have the option of turning in one equivalent old product at that shop. The collected products are submitted free of charge to an approved recycling collection system.

The battery producers are responsible for the collection, treatment and recycling of all batteries, regardless of when they appeared on the market.

Volume of collected batteries 2015–2019

WEEE collected for material recycling 2003–2019

Source: El-Kretsen and Recipo

There are two approved national collection systems for WEEE – El-Kretsen and Recipo.

29 See the definition of electrical and electronic waste (WEEE) in Ordinance (2014:1075) on Producer Responsibility for Electrical and Electronic Equipment30 Avfall Sverige Report 2018:07 Kerbside collection of small WEEE from apartments – opportunities and risks

tonnes

20192018201720162015

Built-in and portableCar batteries

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

-03 -05 -10 -15 -19

tonnes

Includes WEEE outside producer responsibility

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000


14kg/person

147,430 TONNES OF WEEE(excluding batteries) collected in 2019This is an increase of 14 percent compared to 2018.

TREATMENT METHODSWEEE is pre-treated through separation and dismantling before being sent for further treatment. Pre-treatment is carried out at certified facilities, after which the waste is sent for final treatment or recycling. Components containing hazardous substances are treated at approved treatment plants.

Much can be recovered once the hazardous substances have been removed. Plastic cases are incinerated in energy recovery plants, and metals are sent to smelting plants for recovery. Recovered copper, aluminium and iron are used as raw materials in new products. Computers, mobile phones and other IT products contain small amounts of precious metals that are also recovered. For example, some printed circuit boards contain gold and/or silver. Fluorescent tubes and low-energy bulbs contain mercury. These products are therefore separated and treated in a closed process in which the mercury is disposed of in a safe and controlled manner while the fluorescent powder can be reused in the production of new light sources. Metal and electronic waste go to specialised recovery companies that recover metals and use plastics for energy recovery. The glass is cleaned and reused. Other types of light bulbs, such as incandescent bulbs and LED lights, are treated as part of the same process as fluorescent tubes and low-energy bulbs.

Batteries are sorted by chemical content before being sent for recovery or disposal.

#invisiblewaste

it's not always what you see

that is the true heavyweight

1,200 kg

Swedish household waste 2019

BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT

LANDFILL

TOTAL VOLUME OF HOUSEHOLD

WASTE4,818,000 TONNES

OF WHICHHAZARDOUS

WASTE78,800 TONNES

454,000 TONNES

MATERIAL FROM

RECYCLING CENTRES etc.*

868,000 TONNESPACKAGING

686,000 TONNES FOOD AND

GARDEN WASTE

157,000 TONNES

ELECTRONICS AND

BATTERIES

ENERGY RECOVERY

189,000 TONNES

RECYCLABLE PAPER

MATERIAL RECYCLING

SWED

ISH

HO

USE

HO

LD W

ASTE

201

9

* material collected at recycling centres for material recycling, e.g. scrap metal, cardboard and municipal plastic.

2,464,000 TONNES RESIDUAL WASTE AND

BULKY WASTEincl. that sent

to landfill


1 GWh is the amount of energy required to meet

the electricity needs of a city the size of

Lund (approximately 100,000 inhabitants)

for eight hours.

Fuel (biogas) for 20,000 biogas vehicles that drive 15,000 km/year

Waste incineration supplies electricity to a total of 700,000 households and district heating to 1.2 million households.

384,000 tonnes material loss toenergy recovery

1000 GWh is the amount of energy required to power all of Sweden's trains, metros and

trams for five months.

BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT

LANDFILL

ANAE

RO

BIC

DIG

ESTI

ON

COM

POST

ING

338,000 TONNESDIGESTATE

900 GWH

ELECTRICITY

1.3 GWH HEATING

170 GWH VEHICLE GAS

274,000 TONNES

COMPOST SOIL

10 GWH HEATING + ELECTRICITY

6,400 GWH HEATING

0.1 GWH ELECTRICITY

ENERGY RECOVERY

MATERIAL RECYCLING

1,168,000 TONNES RAW MATERIAL

Refers to benefits from the treatment of household waste



Material recycling

1,521,760 tonnes, 32 percent, of household waste went to material recycling in 2019. This corresponds to 147 kg per person. In addition, 146,790 tonnes of construction material were recycled.

The total volume of waste to material recycling includes collected packaging and recyclable paper from households. These fractions amounted to 700,450 tonnes or 68 kg per person. The total volume also includes 356,610 tonnes of packaging from businesses, mainly equivalent packaging waste.

Material recycling plays a key role in a sustainable society. It is therefore vital that waste be viewed as a resource, and handled correctly. Material recycling means that separated materials can replace other production materials or construction materials. This not only results in a reduction in the consumption of virgin material; it also leads to energy savings.

RECYCLING TARGETSThe EU wants to guide member states towards a more circular economy and has therefore intensified recycling targets in the new waste legislation. By 2025, at least 55 percent of municipal waste in the EU shall be recycled to new material. The target increases to 60 percent by 2030 and to 65 percent by 2035. For packaging material, the target is material recycling of 65 percent by 2025, and

384,000 tonnes material loss toenergy recovery

1,168,000 TONNES RAW MATERIAL

70 percent by 2030. The targets apply to material recycling, including preparation for reuse. In connection with this, reporting has been honed to apply to volumes actually recycled.31

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency conducts annual follow-ups of producer responsibility in Sweden, with the latest statistics relating to 201832. At that time 73 percent of packages were sent to material recycling, which means that the target of 55 percent is met. The target for material recycling of recyclable paper is 75 percent. Unfortunately, it is not possible to monitor this since the quantities of recyclable paper made available on the market are not reported for reasons of confidentiality. Beginning 2020, the recycling target for packaging is 65 percent, which means that Sweden has more stringent requirements than the EU.

In partnership with the Nordic waste organisations, Avfall Sverige conducted a project in 2019 and 2020 to develop a shared system for waste terminology and symbols for household waste. The intention is to use the system in kerbside collection, at recycling stations and recycling centres, on bins, in refuse rooms, in collection in cities, and on packaging. A shared system makes it easy to do the right thing – for citizens, municipalities and packaging producers – throughout the Nordic region.

31 Read more about the EU Waste Directive https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/SV/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:L:2018:150:FULL&from=EN32 Swedish Environmental Protection Agency report Sweden's recycling of packaging and newspapers – Follow-up of producer responsibility for packaging and newspapers 2018


COLLECTION SYSTEMSHousehold packaging and recyclable paper is mainly collected through unmanned recycling stations owned by the producers and through kerbside collection. Collection can also be available using manned municipal recycling centres.

A growing number of municipalities have implemented kerbside collection of packaging and recyclable paper, particularly for single-family houses, through collection in multi-compartment bins. A few municipalities collect the fractions in coloured bags, which are then sorted optically. Avfall Sverige has compared the different systems for kerbside collection in an urban environment.33 Kerbside collection will most likely increase in response to the amended ordinances34 that call for greater kerbside/neighbourhood collection.

Most producers of packaging and recyclable paper have organised their collection and recovery undertakings through the company Förpacknings- och tidnings-insamlingen – FTI. A small number of producers are organised through the company TMR. With the amended ordinances for packaging and recyclable paper*, collection will be organised through authorised collection systems (tillståndspliktiga insamlingssystem, TIS) beginning in 2021. When the application deadline expired on 31 March 2020, two applications had been received, one from FTI and one from TMR. In May 2020, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency rejected both applications. The Government also announced that they will abolish producer responsibility for recyclable paper in the spring of 2020.

At the manned municipal recycling centres, households, and sometimes also small companies, can turn in bulky waste, WEEE and hazardous waste.35 The volume of waste submitted to the municipal recycling centres is steadily increasing, as are the possibilities for material recycling and treatment of a variety of materials.

RECYCLINGPackaging and recyclable paper are processed at different plants, both in Sweden and abroad, depending on the material. The recycling levels are high for paper and glass, while material recycling of plastics, for example, is lower.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of fractions at recycling centres as options for further material recycling are evolving, for example hard plastic and textile. Most bulky waste undergoes material recycling

or energy recovery. A lot of hazardous waste is destroyed to detoxify the eco-cycle, but some is also sent to material recycling.

Products for reuse are increasing, such as construction material for reuse, which is collected separately. In cooperation with other stakeholders, construction material is refined and resold.

Materials that are generally difficult to recycle or that are made up of different composite materials go to energy recovery and are converted to electricity and heat. Examples of such materials are certain types of construction waste, sports equipment, some furniture and toys, and foam rubber, carpets, tarpaulins and cushions.

Material recycling of bulky waste is carried out, for example, for scrap metal that is sent directly to processing plants that the municipalities have contracts with. There, it is inspected, sorted based on type of metal, fragmented, and ultimately used to produce new products at steel and metal works.

Wood is usually sorted based on how it was treated, e.g. pure wood, painted, or pressure impregnated. Untreated wood is chipped and used as a biofuel or in the manufacture of chipboard. If the wood contains chemicals, e.g. it has been painted or pressure impregnated, it is treated separately and then destroyed to produce energy.

Garden waste, such as branches and fruit that has fallen off the tree, are refined through biological treatment. It can either be composted or undergo anaerobic digestion. Some garden waste is sent for energy recovery. A new garden waste treatment method that is being used in Stockholm and elsewhere is to use pyrolysis to generate biochar36. The method has attracted great national and international interest.

Stone, soil, brick and ceramics are turned into fill material that can be used in various forms of construction work.

Corrugated board is a large fraction and is sent for recycling into new corrugated board. One paper fibre can be recycled 7-8 times.

There are now also recycling methods for materials that were previously difficult to recycle, such as plaster and flat glass. Plasterboard is ground down into plaster powder, which is used to make new plasterboard. Flat glass is primarily recycled into insulation, but is also used to make new glass.

33 Avfall Sverige Report 2018:11 Kerbside collection in an urban environment34 Ordinance (2018:1462) on producer responsibility for packaging and Ordinance (2018:1463) on producer responsibility for recyclable paper. The Government has announced that they intend to abolish producer responsibility for recyclable paper in the spring of 2020.35 Avfall Sverige Report 2018:36 Increased sorting of construction and demolition waste36 Avfall Sverige Report 2018:14 The biochar market in Sweden



READ MORE:Avfall Sverige Report 2017:13 Sorting experiments with Swedish residual waste in ROAF's sorting plantAvfall Sverige Report 2019:03 Introduction to sales of waste – prerequisites and considerations for different types of materials

PLASTICS PROBLEMATIC WHEN IT COMES TO RECYCLINGGlass and metal are two materials that could theoretically be recycled an infinite number of times as long as they are not contaminated. Material recycling of plastics, on the other hand, is complicated since plastic waste is a mixture of a number of different types of plastics and the products often consist of several composite materials37.

Plastic is a very useful material that combines many good properties. But plastic can also create problems, both in manufacturing and use. Various environmental and health effects are examples of such problems, along with littering both on land and in our oceans. Plastic that cannot be reused or recycled because it contains hazardous substances or it is improperly designed is a major issue, particularly in the waste stage. But, responsibility for addressing the problem begins right from the design and production stage. Avfall Sverige has defined a number of positions38 in relation to plastic for better management of the material, but also finds that the responsibility for achieving these targets lies primarily with the producers. The Government has also called attention to the various problems that plastic can cause, and launched an inquiry, called the Plastic Inquiry, to review possibilities for reducing the negative environmental effects of plastic. The inquiry proposed measures to increase material recycling of plastic and investigate the need for alternative methods/techniques for reuse and material recycling39. A national node for coordination was also appointed.

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has decided to contribute to SIS, Swedish Standards Institute, to establish an ISO secretariat for the development of plastic recycling standards and strive for international development towards the increased material recycling of plastic. Many manufacturers are hesitant about using recycled plastic because they are uncertain about its availability and quality. An international standard can contribute to increased recycling.

It is important to increase the recycling of plastic, not least because it is mostly fossil. Many municipalities now provide for the collection of plastic that is not packaging, referred to as municipal plastic waste. According to Avfall Web, 12,200 tonnes of municipal plastic were collected for recycling in 2019, a decrease of 3 percent compared to the previous year.

Technological development for automated sorting and material recycling is increasing steadily, as is the quality of the secondary raw material. In parallel, it is important to increase the demand for recycled material, particularly among producers, manufacturers and designers of new products.

In 2019, a new, modern sorting plant for plastic packaging was inaugurated in Motala, enabling expanded sorting of plastic.

TEXTILE COLLECTIONTextile is another fraction that has received increased environmental focus and is increasingly collected separately, usually in partnership with non-profit organisations. Textiles are mainly collected for reuse and further processing for reuse via sorting facilities in Europe.

According to the new EU Waste Directive, textiles and hazardous waste from households must be collected separately as of 2025. The Government has also decided to introduce producer responsibility for textile, and appointed an inquiry for this. Avfall Sverige is participating in the inquiry as an expert.

The focus and demand for textile recycling is large globally, but only a limited proportion of textiles are capable of material recycling at present. However, many new initiatives for material recycling of textile are under way, both in Sweden and in the EU. Several stakeholders, such as researchers, research institutes, universities, industrial networks, municipalities and recyclers, are collaborating in various initiatives and methods with promising results.

37 Report No. C245 IVL “Material recycling of plastic waste from recycling centres”38 https://www.avfallsverige.se/om-oss/vad-vi-tycker/39 SOU 2018:84 It’s possible if we want it bad enough. Suggestions for sustainable plastic use.


Collected volumes of packaging and recyclable paper from households that has been dropped off for material recycling 2019

tonnes Kg/personRecyclable paper 189,380 18.3Paper packaging 167,720 16.2Metal packaging 19,620 1.9Plastic packaging 88,460 8.6Glass packaging 235,270 22.8Total 700,450 67.8

Source: Avfall Web and Förpacknings- and Tidningsinsamlingen (FTI)The information relates only to waste collected from households through recycling stations and by kerbside collection.

Material recycling households 1975–2019

Collected household waste for material recycling 2015-2019 (tonnes)

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019Recyclable paper 293,310 269,520 249,900 217,970 189,380Packaging made from cardboard, metal plastic and glass

712,020 751,410 763,690 820,180 867,680

Electrical waste including cooling units 137,270 132,670 127,800 143,410 147,430Portable batteries (incl. built-in) 3,040 2,980 3,250 3,170 3,380Car batteries 6,720 7,060 6,610 6,820 6,620Oil waste 1,830 1,740 1,790 1,770 950Water and solution-based paint 4,220 4,040 4,210 4,450 3,710Other hazardous waste for material recycling 8,580 8,550 8,560 4,370 1,030Scrap metal 160,850 165,400 161,900 161,230 160,790Plaster waste 23,490 23,830 26,620 24,270 24,960Flat glass 1,640 1,890 1,580 1,720 2,920Plastic, non-packaging 7,150 11,040 11,740 12,600 12,200Corrugated board from recycling centres 52,610 54,970 54,110 53,620 53,470Textile waste 1,760 1,830 2,240 3,150 5,340Other material submitted for recycling, incl. tyres 37,810 31,320 38,060 42,220 41,900Total material recycling 1,452,300 1,468,250 1,462,060 1,500,950 1,521,760Recycling of construction material 210,730 156,830 165,200 145,770 146,790Material recycling incl. construction material 1,663,030 1,625,080 1,627,260 1,646,720 1,668,550

Source: Avfall Web, El-Kretsen, Elektronikåtervinningsföreningen/Recipo and Förpacknings- och Tidningsinsamlingen (FTI)The volumes of packaging also include packaging collected from businesses. A lot of this material is “equivalent household waste”.Beginning in 2018, the total collected for material recycling is reported excluding construction material. In 2019, the models for calculating actual recycling of hazardous waste were updated, resulting in somewhat lower material recycling and higher energy recovery.


tonnes

2000 201920101975

Material recyclingMaterial recycling excluding office paper, including new fractions for recovery

19940

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000


Biological treatment

In 2019, 685,980 tonnes of household waste went to biological treatment – anaerobic digestion or composting. 67 kg of household waste (both food waste and garden waste) per person was treated through biological treatment in 2019. Biological treatment accounts for 14 percent of the total volume of treated household waste.

The biological treatment of food waste, excluding home compost, was 388,560 tonnes in 2019. The amount of food waste treated in co-digestion plants decreased by 13 percent, while food waste treated in central composting plants fell by 39 percent. One explanation for the decrease in treated food waste in co-digestion plants could be that the plants have become better at reporting treated quantities exclusive of dilution water.

According to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency's calculations40, approximately 69 kg of food waste is produced per person annually in Swedish households. This equals 693,000 tonnes41. In addition, 7 kg per person is produced from restaurants, 7 kg per person from catering, and 10 kg per person from retail. In total that is 93 kg per person, or 939,000 tonnes, of household, including equivalent waste, per year. Food waste that is poured down the drain is excluded. In 2018, 38 percent of food waste was recycled through biological treatment to recover plant nutrients. With 33 percent of the waste, both plant nutrients and energy were recovered. By 2020, the

ANAE

RO

BIC

DIG

ESTI

ON

COM

POST

ING

Fuel (biogas) for 20,000 biogas vehicles that travel 15,000 km/year.

338,000 TONNESDIGESTATE

170 GWH VEHICLE GAS

274,000 TONNES

COMPOST SOIL

10 GWH HEATING + ELECTRICITY

Refers to benefit from the treat-ment of household waste

40 Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Report Food waste in Sweden – Incidence and treatment 2018.41 95 kg (917,000 tonnes) of food waste poured down the drain is included. 42 Guide #2: Introduction of system for the collection of source-separated food waste; updated summer 202043 Avfall Sverige Report 2015:15 Food waste's journey from table to earth44 Avfall Sverige Report 2015:17 Quality assurance of source-separated food waste45 Avfall Sverige Report 2016:03 Collection of food waste in apartment blocks Good examples from municipalities and public housing companies46 Avfall Sverige has compiled good examples of communication regarding the collection of food waste in a database available to Avfall Sverige members at avfallsverige.se

goal is for at least 50 percent of food waste to be treated biologically to recover plant nutrients and at least 40 percent of the waste treated to recover both nutrients and energy.

INCREASED COLLECTION OF SOURCE-SEPARATED FOOD WASTEThe collection of source-separated food waste increased by 7 percent in 2019 compared to 2018. 82 percent of the municipalities, i.e. 238, collect source-separated food waste to varying degrees.

Avfall Sverige compiled a guide to help municipalities and enterprises get started with the collection of source-separated food waste42.

Avfall Sverige has also created an overview of various collection systems for source-separated household food waste43. The report describes what happens throughout the chain and uses this to assess how it affects the quality of collected food waste and ultimately the digestate/compost.

To achieve good quality, active quality assurance is required in the collection phase44. The quality of the end product is dependent on how well the food waste is separated at the source. An important tool for good quality is varying types of communication initiatives45,46.


Avfall Sverige operates the website biogodsel.se. The website contains information on what digestate is, how it is used, what effect it has, and what regulations govern its use.

47 Self-inspection of Methane Emissions – A description of the system for inventorying and reducing methane emissions from co-digestion plants, wastewater treatment plants and biogas upgrading plants48 Avfall Sverige Report 2016:17 Methane measurement handbook Revision 2016

COLLECTION SYSTEMSThe most common collection system for source-separated food waste from single-family houses is a separate bin. 60 percent of the municipalities use this system. There are also four-compartment systems in which different fractions are sorted into separate inserts in two large bins, and collection systems using the optical sorting of different coloured bags that are put into the same bin. Of the municipalities that collect food waste, 23 percent use four-compartment bins and 15 percent use optical sorting. Some municipalities also have a two-compartment bin for food and residual waste.

TREATMENT METHODSThe main purpose of biological treatment is the circulation of nutrients in society as a means of closing the eco-cycle.

Anaerobic digestion is the most common method of treating food waste. Anaerobic digestion produces biogas, which consists mainly of methane and carbon dioxide. Biogas is a renewable source of energy. Following refinement, whereby carbon dioxide is cleaned away, it can be used as a vehicle fuel. It can also be used for heating or electricity generation.

Anaerobic digestion also produces digestate, a fertiliser with a high nutrient content. Just under 1.7 million tonnes of digestate were produced in 2019. 99 percent of this organic fertiliser was used in agricultural land. Using digestate instead of mineral fertiliser recycles plant nutrients back into the eco-cycle and reduces the need for e.g. imported phosphorus. Digestate is an important fertiliser for increasing organic farming in Sweden, which is a goal of the National Food Strategy for Sweden. In 2019, 30% of the digestate produced was approved for use in organic production.

CERTIFIED RECYCLINGPlants that produce compost or digestate from clean source-separated waste from the foodstuff and/or feedstuff chains can quality label their products through our certified recovery system. This is a certification system developed by Avfall Sverige in consultation with the agricultural and food industries, compost and digestate producers, soil producers, public authorities and researchers. LRF (Federation of Swedish Farmers), Svenska Kvarnföreningen (Swedish Flour Milling Industry Organisation), Lantmännen, Svenska Foder and KRAV are some of the organisations that approve digestates based on source-separated food waste that meets the certification requirements of SPCR 33.

Certification places demands on the entire production chain, from incoming waste/substrate to the end product. There are also requirements related to the implementation of the process.

1.4 million tonnes of certified digestate was produced in 2019 for use as agricultural fertiliser.

Today, 86 percent of all digestate produced in co-digestion plants is certified.

MINIMIZING METHANE EMISSIONSAvfall Sverige and Svenskt Vatten are collaborating on a self-inspection system47 as a means of minimising methane emissions from biogas and upgrading plants. Methane emissions should be minimised for environmental, economic, safety and other reasons. A number of plants, both co-digestion plants and wastewater treatment plants, have joined the system. These plants systematically measure48 emissions and actively strive to reduce them.

7%

FROM 2018 TO 2019, THE COLLECTION OF SOURCE-SEPARATED FOOD WASTE INCREASED BY

BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT2019 >

1975 >

686 K-TONNES60 K-TONNES

1,043%more in 2019 than in 1975


READ MORE:Avfall Sverige Guide #15: Food waste collection – what applies under animal by-products legislation?Avfall Sverige Report 2018:01 Aeration of digestate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – stage 2Avfall Sverige Report 2018:05 Evaporation of digestateAvfall Sverige Report 2018:31 The food waste recycling processes of the futureAvfall Sverige Report 2018:33 Compilation of knowledge on polymer in the biogas industryAvfall Sverige Report 2019:05 Fruit bag = paper bag for food wasteAvfall Sverige Report 2019:09 Measuring greenhouse emissions using both conventional and new, innovative technology at digestate warehousesAvfall Sverige Report 2019:11 Thermophilic or mesophilic digestion of food waste – which is better?Avfall Sverige Report 2019:17 The microbiological working environment for biological treatment – a compilation of microbiological working environment risks, completed working environment measurements, and how to work for a better and safer working environmentAvfall Sverige Report Certified recycling, SPCR 120 – Annual report

Biological treatment of household waste 2015-2019 (tonnes)

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019Food waste to co-digestion plants 316,850 358,680 353,190 381,090 332,380Food waste to central composting plants 44,700 35,100 20,410 15,620 9,580Food waste that undergoes anaerobic digestion at wastewater treatment plants

51,530 48,060 44,720 47,460 46,600

Food waste that is home composted 44,500 42,900 37,100 37,040 33,140Garden waste to central composting plants 256,440 272,740 276,460 251,450 264,280Total 714,020 757,480 731,880 732,660 685,980

Food waste is household waste and thus equivalent whether it comes from households, restaurants, food shops, schools and similar businesses. Waste from the food industry, slaughterhouses, etc. is not included.Food waste undergoing anaerobic digestion includes food waste via a food waste disposer to the drainage system.

Energy production (MWh)

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019Vehicle gas 747,680 829,280 856,170 848,390 886,840Electricity 18,070 17,140 5,660 4,610 5,380Heating 38,480 42,820 36,850 38,240 43,340Flaring 34,100 35,480 60,230 34,290 57,230Other 18,480 16,610 16,770 24,900 20,330Total (MWh) 856,810 941,330 975,680 950,430 1,013,120

Source: Avfall Web, Avfall Sverige.1) These volumes relate to the co-digestion plants that have reported data to Avfall Web. This summary does not provide a complete picture of biological treatment in Sweden.

Biological treatment through anaerobic digestion, total including household waste 2015–2019 (tonnes)1

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019Volume of waste to anaerobic digestion 1,616,080 1,614,920 1,562,210 1,631,400 1,710,100

Resource economisation (tonnes)

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019Digestate 1,712,050 1,708,320 1,678,260 1,737,110 1,678,740

29 │ Swedish Waste Management 201929 │ Swedish Waste Management 2019

Biological treatment of household waste 1975–2019tonnes

-19-10-00-94-750

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

Plants that compost food waste 2019

Municipality Food waste (tonnes)Luleå 5,120Uppsala 1,070Östersund 3,390Total 9,580

Biogas plants 2019

Municipality Total (tonnes)

of which food waste

Alvesta 53,590 800Bjuv* 44,560 1,970Borås* 29,800 11,250Falkenberg* 86,500 23,110Falköping 7,550 5,950Gotland* 92,610 6,650Gävle* 14,710 11,620Helsingborg* 126,020 18,590Huddinge* 65,730 38,380Härnösand* 2,970 2,930Höör 26,110 6,000Jönköping* 14,470 10,810Kalmar* 27,870 730Kalmar* 84,090 6,780Karlshamn 13,830 13,170Karlskoga* 37,270 19,330Katrineholm* 67,290 0Kristianstad* 99,150 22,930Laholm* 38,050 7,190Lidköping* 97,900 0Linköping* 97,000 46,700Mariestad 89,200 0Skellefteå 9,110 7,870Skövde* 42,790 5,260Sävsjö* 64,320 310Trelleborg* 54,110 0Upplands-Bro* 26,980 12,270Uppsala* 41,420 31,420Uppsala 20,180 0Vårgårda* 77,910 1,430Västervik 5,220 3,210Västerås* 20,720 15,720Västerås* 73,620 0Örebro* 57,450 0Total 1,710,100 332,380

Source: Avfall Web, Avfall Sverige.Avfall Sverige's statistics include biogas plants classified as co-digestion plants, i.e. plants that treat several different types of waste. Most co-digestion plants receive household waste (food waste). More information about the plants is available on Avfall Sverige's website.

*) Plant that producers certified digestate in accordance with SPCR 120

Wastewater treatment plants that carry out anaerobic digestion of food waste 2019

Municipality Food waste (tonnes)

Boden 4,210Borlänge 40Botkyrka 14,910Gotland 910Gothenburg 7,860Kalmar 5,170Norrköping 480Götene 10Umeå 590Växjö 8,580Other, food waste disposer to sewer system

3,840

Total 46,600

Source: Svenskt Vatten


Energy recovery

In 2019, 2,426,610 tonnes of household waste went to energy recovery. This is an increase of 3 percent from 2018. This means that every inhabitant of Sweden sent 235 kg of household waste to energy recovery in 2019. Energy recovery makes up half of the total amount of treated household waste.

Waste is a fuel used in Swedish district heating systems. Converting waste to energy meets the heating needs of 1,260,000 apartments and the electricity needs of almost 700,000 apartments. In 2019, 18.5 TWh of energy was recovered, of which 16.2 TWh was used for heating and 2.3 TWh for electricity. In addition, three plants reported that they delivered 0.1 TWh of district cooling. Sweden recovers more energy from waste than any other country in Europe, approximately 3 MWh per tonne.

In addition to household waste, 3.7 million tonnes of other waste, primarily industrial waste, was also treated by Swedish plants.

The capacity for energy recovery in Sweden is greater than the domestic availability of combustible waste. In 2019, Swedish energy recovery plants therefore also treated 1,548,920 tonnes of waste from other European countries, 525,360 tonnes of which was household waste. This waste contributes to the fuel supply in Sweden and solves some waste management problems in exporting countries. In the EU, a total of 179 million tonnes of waste (2016) is still sent to landfill49, 57 million tonnes of which is household waste50. This leads to methane emissions equivalent to more than 140 million tonnes of carbon dioxide51. To reduce the environmental impact of landfills, the EU has set a target of maximum ten percent of all household waste being sent to landfill by 2035. This transition to a more circular economy means that millions of tonnes of waste must be treated in other ways, including through energy recovery.

There are 35 incineration plants for household waste in Sweden.

49 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Waste_management_indicators50 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Municipal_waste_statistics#Municipal_waste_treatment51 Calculation from Cewep based on the Umweltbundesamt report The Climate Change Mitigation Potential of the Waste Sector

1000 GWh is the amount of energy required to power all of Sweden's trains, metros and

trams for five months.

Waste incineration supplies electricity to a total of 700,000 households and district heating to 1.2 million households.

900 GWH

ELECTRICITY

6,400 GWH HEATINGRefers to benefit from the

treatment of household waste


READ MORE:Avfall Sverige Report 2015:24 Quality assurance upon import of waste fuelAvfall Sverige Report 2017:02 What is a polluter? Allocation of emissions from energy recoveryAvfall Sverige Report 2017:06 Industry-wide agreement for quality assurance of waste fuelAvfall Sverige Report 2017:23 Right item to the right treatment Material recycling, waste incineration and the detoxification of societyAvfall Sverige Report 2017:24 Dioxin and waste incinerationAvfall Sverige Report 2018:04 Handling the waste stage of plastic composites with carbon nanotubesAvfall Sverige Report 2018:09 Fire safety during storage of waste fuelAvfall Sverige Report 2018:13 Guide for classifying incineration residues with calculation methodsAvfall Sverige Report 2018:28 How do we achieve fossil-free waste incineration? – A scenario analysisAvfall Sverige Report 2019:06 Waste incineration for future needs: scenario analysis and action plansAvfall Sverige Report 2019:10 Status analysis of the energy industry’s flow of environmental dataAvfall Sverige Report 2019:14 Updated decision-making support for recycling granulated slag in specific asphalt-covered construction structuresAvfall Sverige Report 2019:16 Capacity study 2019 – energy recovery and residual waste volumes through 2024Avfall Sverige Report 2019:27 Fuel quality – current status and scenarios for composition of residual waste by 2025Avfall Sverige Report 2019:31 – Development of a test method for evaluation of ecotoxicity (HP14) of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ashes…Avfall Sverige Report 2020:05 – Allocation of fossil emissions from energy recovery to producer and consumer components – model proposal

There is residue from combustion. Slag from the furnace makes up about 16 percent by weight of the amount of input waste, and flue gas treatment residues make up 4 percent by weight. Slag consists of materials that are not combustible or do not evaporate during combustion. Examples of such materials are glass, porcelain, iron scrap and gravel.

Once larger objects and metal residues have been sorted out for material recycling and the remaining material has been sifted and stabilised, what remains is granulated slag. This is mainly used as a construction material in landfill sites, but it would be beneficial to be able to use it instead of sand and gravel from natural deposits in road construction, for example52. Sand and gravel from natural deposits are a finite resource that should be reserved for particularly pressing areas of application. Avfall Sverige actively works with its members to ensure that granulated slag used outside of the plants does not jeopardisepeople or the environment in any way.

Flue gas treatment residues is the collective term for a fine-grain fraction that is created during treatment of flue gas. The fraction consists of fly ash, filter cake from hose filters, and sludge from wet flue gas treatment. After they are stabilised, flue gas treatment residues are either transported to landfill or used as a neutralization agent when refilling mines and pits.

RECOVERY METHODSAccording to the EU Framework Directive on Waste and the Swedish Waste Ordinance, waste incineration with efficient energy recovery is considered a recycling method53. Swedish plants fulfil the Energy Efficiency Criterion (R1 formula) by good margin54.

Energy recovery is a hygienic and environmentally sound treatment method for waste that cannot or should not be treated in any other manner, such as infectious hazardous waste from the healthcare sector. Energy recovery is one of only a few treatment methods for this waste. It is particularly the case in pandemic times, when large volumes are created in a short amount of time, and the hospitals’ own treatment capacity is insufficient.

52 Avfall Sverige Report 2019:14 Updated decision-making support for recycling granulated slag in specific asphalt-covered construction structures53 EU Framework Directive on Waste (2008/98/EC) and the Swedish Waste Ordinance (2011:927)54 Read more about the Energy Efficiency Criterion (R1) in appendix 2 of the Swedish Waste Ordinance (2011:927)


Energy recovery plants 2019Processed waste

(tonnes)Energy production

(MWh)

Municipality Plant Total

of which household

waste Heating ElectricityAvesta Källhagsverket 63,700 15,000 185,000 0Boden Bodens Värmeverk 139,140 31,410 338,190 54,820Bollnäs Säverstaverket 71,160 41,760 159,870 32,600Borlänge Fjärrvärmeverket, Bäckelund 97,800 95,070 303,840 40,700Borås Ryaverket 107,240 21,520 264,190 43,300Eda Åmotsfors Energi 67,740 17,040 154,990 19,370Eksjö Eksjö Energi AB 47,420 23,580 124,090 14,220Finspång FTV Värmeverket 28,880 5,880 69,080 0Gothenburg Sävenäs avfallskraftvärmeverk 529,410 242,050 1,500,830 206,200Halmstad Kristineheds avfallsvärmeverk 187,970 60,850 508,360 67,420Helsingborg Filbornaverket 199,900 40,000 487,000 110,000Hässleholm Beleverket i Hässleholm 49,460 27,030 119,300 3,990Jönköping Kraftvärmeverket Torsvik 157,660 32,870 415,330 113,520Karlskoga Karlskoga Kraftvärmeverk 89,320 35,900 243,170 13,570Karlstad Avfallsvärmeverket på Heden 46,570 46,560 151,970 0Kil Kils Avfallsförbränningsanläggning 15,580 0 44,880 0Kiruna Kiruna Värmeverk 64,000 11,780 177,350 18,360Kumla Ekokem Förbränning 154,990 5,670 280,110 30,930Köping Norsa avfallsförbränningsanläggning 21,140 17,330 57,360 0Lidköping PC Filen 120,150 23,790 393,980 10,100Linköping Gärstadverket 599,480 118,030 1,445,640 297,460Ljungby Ljungby Energi AB 54,870 47,620 134,710 13,730Malmö Sysav förbränningsanläggning 564,260 223,890 1,479,300 189,500Mora* Avfallsförbränningen Mora 20,310 13,440 61,490 0Norrköping E.ON Händelöverket 379,000 57,000 835,000 97,000Nybro Kraftvärmeverket Transtorp 59,800 59,800 164,430 16,290Sigtuna Brista kraftvärmeverk 208,390 94,050 592,310 131,420Skövde Värmekällan 57,140 28,840 169,640 6,450Stockholm Högdalenverket 668,420 475,380 1,753,490 230,620Sundsvall Korsta kraftvärmeverk 170,580 68,660 438,250 46,800Uddevalla Lillesjö Avfallskraftvärmeverk 118,100 50,880 294,870 71,040Umeå Dåva kraftvärmeverk 157,190 77,450 380,590 84,420Upplands-Bro Högbytorp kraftvärmeverk 32,360 0 111,020 0Uppsala Vattenfall AB Värme Uppsala 362,510 147,880 1,198,320 20,300Västervik Stegeholmsverket 66,760 19,620 187,760 23,400Västerås Västerås Kraftvärmeverk 377,940 136,590 1,013,900 289,360Other incineration of household waste in industrial plant 12,390Total 6,156,340 2,426,610 16,239,610 2,296,890

* Quantities and energy refer to the average for 2016–2018Avfall Sverige's statistics include waste incineration plants that accept household waste. Most also accept other waste. The plant in Kil is included despite this definition. The amount of household waste only includes Swedish household waste. The total amount of waste also includes imported waste. Energy recovery relates to total waste, not just household waste.


Waste to energy recovery 1985–2019 Energy production from waste 1985–2019

Energy recovery 2015–20192015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Incineration (tonnes)Households 2,284,210 2,262,610 2,400,440 2,362,160 2,426,610Other waste 3,491,190 3,740,200 3,749,710 3,561,230 3,729,730Total 5,775,400 6,002,810 6,150,150 5,923,390 6,156,340

Production (MWh)Heating 14,702,670 15,929,210 16,113,890 15,354,030 16,239,610Electricity 2,304,610 2,199,830 2,242,370 2,183,250 2,296,890Total 17,007,280 18,129,040 18,356,260 17,537,280 18,536,500

Slag, bottom ash (tonnes) 967,700 976,070 992,330 949,840 1,170,850RGR, fly ash (tonnes) 265,080 275,940 270,320 258,960 269,880

-85 -19-10-00-95

MWh

Total energy production (electricity and heat)Of which heat

0

5,000,000

10,000,000

15,000,000

20,000,000

-85 -19 -10 -00-95

tonnes

Total amount of waste to energy recoveryOf which household waste

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

6,000,000

7,000,000

8,000,000


Waste treatment plants with landfills

In 2019, waste treatment plants that submit data to Avfall Web sent a total of 2,649,310 tonnes to landfill, an increase of 606,000 tonnes compared to the previous year. However, at individual plants the total amounts of waste going to landfill can vary significantly from year to year, depending on a varying need to send ash and contaminated excavated material to landfill. In 2019, 40 plants sent 37,370 tonnes of household waste to landfill; another 20 plants sent only business waste to landfill.

Landfill is the treatment method used for waste that cannot be treated in any other way, e.g. contaminated materials. At a modern waste treatment plant, material separation – for processing, for reuse and material recycling, and for energy recovery – is a major part of operations. The plants sometimes also serve as temporary storage for waste fuel and waste that falls under producer responsibility, such as cardboard and glass. Plants often also treat biodegradable waste and contaminated excavated material.

Only 0.8 percent of household waste was sent to landfill in 2019.

3.6kg/person

IN 2019, 37,370 TONNES OF SWEDISH HOUSEHOLD WASTE WENT TO LANDFILL.

1 GWh is the amount of energy required to meet the electricity

needs of a city the size of Lund (approximately 100,000

inhabitants) for eight hours.

Regards household waste

1.3 GWH HEATING

0.1 GWH ELECTRICITY

55 Avfall Sverige Report 2019:26 Analysis of socio-economic consequences of landfill tax in Sweden

When a landfill is full, it is capped with material to, inter alia, prevent rainfall from penetrating the landfill site and becoming contaminated through contact with the waste. Today, materials such as slag, sludge, ash and excavated materials are used in the various capping layers. Most of the landfill sites closed due to stricter regulations, introduced in 2008, will be capped by 2030.

In 2019, Avfall Sverige drafted a report on the socio-economic consequences of the landfill tax55. The conclusion from the report is that, in its current form, the tax is a socio-economic loss-making enterprise. In light of this, Avfall Sverige found that the Government should conduct a deeper analysis of how the tax is structured and its environmental control effects. In March 2020, Avfall Sverige sent the Government a formal request to review the landfill tax.


READ MORE:Avfall Sverige Report D2012:02 Avfall Sverige's landfill handbookAvfall Sverige Report 2015:09 Landfill waste – mapping and possible disposalAvfall Sverige Report 2015:13 Decision-making support for handling landfill emissions during cappingAvfall Sverige Report 2016:01 Trends for waste treatment plants with landfill – statistics 2008–2014Avfall Sverige Report 2016:11 Aired pondsAvfall Sverige Report 2016:32 When is active management of landfill gas no longer necessary?Avfall Sverige Report 2017:04 Decision-making support for recycling granulated slag in specific asphalt-covered construction structuresAvfall Sverige Report 2017:28 Characterisation of surface water from different types of activities and wasteAvfall Sverige Report 2017:34 Application of the law on tax on wasteAvfall Sverige Report 2017:36 Handbook for assessing leachate and contaminated surface water at waste treatment plantsAvfall Sverige Report 2018:09 Fire safety during storage of waste fuelAvfall Sverige Report 2018:13 Guide for classifying incineration residues with calculation methodsAvfall Sverige Report 2018:21 Microplastic in treated leachateAvfall Sverige Report 2018:25 PFAS at waste treatment plantsAvfall Sverige Report 2018:36 Increased sorting of construction and demolition wasteAvfall Sverige Report 2019:01 Updated assessment criteria for contaminated excavated materialAvfall Sverige Report 2019:13 Guide on BAT conclusions for waste treatment (WT-BREF)Avfall Sverige Report 2019:26 Analysis of socio-economic consequences of landfill tax in SwedenAvfall Sverige Report 2020:09 System for wireless temperature monitoring during storage of waste fuel/biofuel and compost

56 Avfall Sverige Report D2013:02 Landfill gas handbook

LANDFILL GAS AND LEACHATELandfill gas is the term used for the gas produced at a landfill where organic waste was deposited in the past56. The gas is approximately 50 percent methane. The rest is carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and small amounts of other gases. Since it contains methane, it must be collected to reduce its environmental impact. Since the ban on organic waste going to landfill was introduced, the formation of gas at landfill sites has progressively decreased.

In 2019, approximately 136 GWh of landfill gas was collected in total at 53 waste treatment plants, of which 94 GWh was used for energy.

Energy recovery consisted of 4.2 GWh in the form of electricity and 90 GWh in the form of heating. In all, 42 GWh of landfill gas was flared. Flaring does not produce energy but reduces methane emissions.

Landfills are built with a bottom barrier layer to make it possible to collect and purify leachate. Leachate is defined as the liquid – usually rainwater – which has been in contact with the landfill material and flows out of or is retained in a landfill. In 2019, 7.5 million cubic metres of leachate was processed at 91 waste treatment plants. This includes contaminated surface water from operational areas since all of the water is handled in the same treatment process.

Waste is still sent to landfill at 57 plants with leachate treatment. Less than half of the plants report that leachate is diverted to municipal wastewater treatment plants after various degrees of local treatment. Other plants report that leachate is treated locally before being released to recipients. Gas and leachate are also collected from closed landfill sites.


Energy recovery at landfill sites 2015-2019 (MWh)

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019Useful energy 137,100 140,220 105,780 93,040 94,220 of which electrical energy* 17,800 9,300 18,440 7,210 4,150Flaring 53,300 36,700 40,170 46,060 41,990

* Other energy is used for heating

Landfilled quantities 2015–2019 (tonnes)

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019Volumes sent to landfill 1,662,200 1,983,400 2,117,300 2,043,310 2,649,310 of which household waste 38,300 31,000 23,600 32,710 37,370

Avfall Sverige’s landfill statistics do not provide a complete picture of landfill in Sweden. Initially, the idea was to keep statistics on plants that accepted household waste. Today, many of these plants no longer accept household waste. There is some uncertainty about the figures for household waste as it is not always possible to distinguish flows of household waste from other waste.

Amounts of waste sent to landfill 1994–2019

-19-94 -00 -10

tonnes

Landfill quantities in totalOf which household waste

0

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

6,000,000

7,000,000

8,000,000


Plants that send household waste to landfill 2019

Municipality PlantTotal,

tonnes

of which household

waste, tonnesUseful

energy, MWhAlingsås Bälinge 15,100 290 1,490Arvika Mosseberg Deponi 3,850 190 260Borlänge Fågelmyra Avfallsanläggning 10,230 2,720 220Borås Sobackens Deponi 108,470 120 820Eda Lunden 910 20 0Eslöv Rönneholms avfallsanläggning 1,820 630 210Gotland Slite avfallsanläggning 1,120 1,120 0Grums Karlbergs avfallsstation 460 460 0Hagfors Holkesmossen avfallsanläggning 3,170 1,600 0Helsingborg NSR Deponianläggning 1,440 320 6,870Huddinge Sofielunds återvinningsanläggning 64,050 7,920 1,390Härnösand Älands avfallsanläggning 8,400 150 4,120Hässleholm Vankiva Aktiva deponier 94,250 70 1,770Jönköping Miljöhantering i Jönköping 10,640 400 0Kalmar Moskogens avfallsanläggning 59,760 1,220 850Karlskrona Mältans avfallsanläggning 6,400 1,350 0Karlstad Avfallsupplag Djupdalen 18,780 2,260 0Kiruna Kiruna deponi 110 230 0Klippan Hyllstofta avfallsanläggning 480 110 1,560Kramfors Högbergets avfallsanläggning 28,550 310 0Laholm Ahla deponi och återvinningscentral 870 370 0Lidköping Kartåsens avfallsanläggning 12,700 200 0Linköping Gärstad avfallsanläggning 12,510 1,470 0Ljungby Bredemads avfallsanläggning 3,140 750 0Ludvika Björnshyttans avfallsanläggning 730 490 270Motala Tuddarps avfallsanläggning 2,620 120 0Nyköping Björshults avfallsanläggning 590 140 1,680Orust Månsemyrs deponi i drift 3,020 140 0Piteå Bredviksbergets avfallsanläggning 9,740 340 0Skellefteå Degermyran 14,030 4,840 0Sunne Holmby Avfallsanläggning 990 370 400Umeå Dåva Deponi- och avfallsanläggning 65,200 900 0Uppsala Hovgårdens avfallsanläggning 11,690 40 0Vetlanda Flishults avfallsanläggning 103,380 640 480Västervik Målserums avfallsanläggning 1,560 160 0Växjö Häringetorp behandlingsanläggning 5,060 1,470 490Älmhult Äskya 8,820 490 280Örebro Atleverket 23,080 350 6,510Östersund Gräfsåsens deponi 31,010 390 0Östhammar* Väddika avfallsanläggning 4,310 2,210 0Other plants in Avfall Web 1,896,275 64,552Total 2,649,310 37,370 94,220

The table only reports the plants that send household waste to landfill (and that entered a value in Avfall Web).Avfall Sverige's statistics covers a total of 122 plants.

* values from 2018


Customers, charges and costs Municipalities and producers handle the management of household waste. The cost to municipalities is recouped through a waste collection charge, set by the municipal council. Producers' costs are recouped through a charge on the product. The producers determine what this charge should be themselves.

As a rule, the municipality's waste collection charge, or waste charge, covers the total cost of municipal waste management, but any deficits that occur may be funded through taxation. Administration, such as waste planning, customer service, invoicing and information are included in the costs. In addition, the charge must cover the cost of service at recycling centres, such as receiving bulky waste and hazardous household waste.

The charge is often divided into a fixed and a variable fee, for example one fee for waste collection and one for waste treatment. According to the prime cost principle in the Local Government Act, the municipalities’ revenue from the waste collection charges may not exceed their costs for waste management.

AVERAGE CHARGEThe average annual waste collection charge paid by a Swedish household in a single-family house in 2019 was SEK 2,224 (or SEK 6 per day) according to data from Avfall Sverige’s statistics system Avfall Web. Households in apartment blocks paid an average of SEK 1,399, and the average charge for second homes was SEK 1,340 in 2019. On average, the basic charge makes up 45 percent of the total charges for single-family houses.

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

Other costs

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Treatment, incl. long distance transportCollection of food and residual wasteBasic costs such as service and administration

SEK per person excl. VAT

Waste management costs 2015–2019

The statistics come from Avfall Web and are based on data from about two-thirds of Sweden’s municipalities.

57 Avfall Sverige Report 2014:09 Guidance for structuring waste charges58 Avfall Sverige Report U 2014:05 Eco-based charge? A guide to weight-based waste charge prior to decision, for implementation and operation59 Avfall Sverige Report 2016:29 Calculation of waste management costs in Sweden municipalities

Many municipalities that introduced the voluntary collection of food waste use the charge as an incentive57. Then, for example, households that separate food waste pay a lower charge than those that choose to leave mixed waste for collection.

To achieve a higher recycling rate for waste, several municipalities have introduced a weight-based charge, where households pay an additional rate per kilo of waste collected on top of the basic charge58. In this case, collection vehicles are equipped with a scale and equipment to identify each individual bin. The total annual cost for weight-based charges varies depending on the quantity of waste left for collection. The charge varies between SEK 0.90 and SEK 4.25 per kg for residual waste and between SEK 0 and SEK 3.60 for a food waste bin, combined with various types of bin charges and the fixed basic charge. 33 of the country's municipalities had a weight-based charge in 2019. Some municipalities with food waste collection have lower weight charges for food waste; in some municipalities it is free.

In 2019, the total cost for waste management to municipalities was on average SEK 895 per person, excluding VAT. The municipal cost for collecting food and residual waste was on average SEK 301 per person. Treatment of the waste is not included in this cost. The basic cost averaged SEK 413 per person. The annual basic cost covers factors such as the cost of recycling centres, the treatment of hazardous household waste, planning, information and administration. The cost is generally higher in households of municipalities with small populations versus those with large ones59.


READ MORE:Avfall Sverige Report 2019:22 Household waste in figures

Swedish households pay, on average, the price of a Swedish apply per day to have food and residual waste collected kerbside and to have access to recycling centres to turn in bulky waste and hazardous waste.

SEK 5

Treatment charges for household waste, in SEK per tonne and excl. VAT 2019SEK/tonne Anaerobic digestion, food

wasteEnergy recovery Landfill

Average 500 550 980Interval 290-710 430-710 740-1,380

The treatment charge refers to the median in Avfall Web. The interval shows the normal distribution of waste treatment charges.

Treatment charges 2010–2019Average waste charges per household 2010–2019

-10 -11 -12 -13 -14 -16 -19-18-17-15LandfillComposting, food wasteAnaerobic digestion, food wasteEnergy recovery, residual waste

SEK/tonne excl. VAT

400

600

800

1,000

-10 -11 -12 -13 -14 -16 -19-18-17-15

Household in single-family houseApartment in apartmentblock Second home

SEK incl. VAT

Kr inkl.moms/år

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

INSTRUMENTS OF CONTROLThere are several national and local mechanisms in place to reduce the environmental impact of waste management, improve resource efficiency and increase recovery. These can be information or administrative and financial instruments. Examples of administrative instruments include regulations and prohibitions, such as limits to emissions and prohibiting sending organic waste to landfill. Financial instruments can either be an incentive, like tax relief and subsidies, or a penalty, like taxes and charges. One basic principle is that the polluter should pay. Tax on waste sent to landfill was introduced in 2000 as a way to reduce landfill. The tax was initially SEK 250 per tonne, but has since been raised several times. Since 01 January 2015, the landfill tax has been set at SEK 500 per tonne of waste. The landfill site operator is liable for the tax.

A new tax on the incineration of waste was introduced on 1 April 2020. The tax amount is SEK 75/tonne in 2020, SEK 100/tonne in 2021, and SEK 125/tonne in 2022 and onwards.

Municipalities often pay a charge to get their waste treated. Treatment charges can vary greatly. The charge for energy recovery from residual waste continues to rise compared to 2014, when it was at its lowest.The charge for anaerobic digestion decreased slightly to SEK 500 after being stable at SEK 515 per tonne for a long time. The landfill charge increased by 16% compared to 2018.

Beginning in 2019, the composting of food waste will no longer be presented

due to too few values.


Total quantity of waste generated in Sweden

According to the EU’s Waste Statistics Directive, each member state must report its country’s statistics once every two years. Data on all waste in Sweden can be found in the official statistics, which are reported to the EU via the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.

The latest statistics relate to waste quantities for 201860. At that time, 139 million tonnes of waste were generated in Sweden, of which 2.9 million tonnes were hazardous waste. The majority of the generated waste, 75 percent or 104 million tonnes, consisted of mining waste from the mining industry. The entire EU generates approximately 2.5 billion tonnes of waste each year.

Businesses are responsible for managing their own non-household waste. Some businesses have their own landfill sites at their disposal or can recover energy from waste in their own incineration plants.

Construction and demolition waste is waste from construction, renovation, rebuilding or demolition of buildings, or from more extensive construction work in gardens. The municipality is not responsible for collecting

60 Report 6932 “Waste in Sweden 2018”

or handling such waste. However, waste from minor maintenance work and house repairs counts as household waste. Some construction and demolition waste is classified as hazardous waste, for example asbestos and impregnated timber, and must be handled accordingly. According to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency's calculations, 35% of all waste produced in Sweden is generated by the construction sector (mining waste excluded). Construction and demolition waste is therefore prioritised in the national waste plan and in the waste prevention programme.

The waste hierarchy serves as guidance for how waste is treated, and has been integrated in the Environmental Code (SFS 2016:782) since 2016. The national waste statistics also include final treatment of waste at the three levels material recycling, other recycling (e.g. energy recovery), and disposal. In 2018 in Sweden, 6.8 million tonnes of waste underwent material recycling, 15.8 million tonnes were recycled in other ways, and 4.7 million tonnes of waste were disposed of. Mining waste is excluded from these statistics.

Total waste generated in Sweden in 2018, excluding mining waste, reported for various industries. The industries that generated the most waste are reported individually. The remaining industries are reported together under Other industries.

Source: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

Total waste generated in Sweden, excluding mining waste 2018

Construction workWaste management and wholesale trade in scrap

Household sectorService producers

Energy supplyPaper and paper product manufacturing

Metal and metal productsAgriculture, forestry and fishing

Engineering industryFood product production

Other industries

0 3 6 12 159 Millions of tonnes


The year in brief

AVFALL SVERIGE » Avfall Sverige took several steps towards the 25/25

goal. Among other things, the municipalities were invited to join and a new operational group was established. So far, 70-some municipalities have committed to the goal.

» A new managing director took over, Tony Clark. He took the reins from Weine Wiqvist, who retired after 25 years as managing director of Avfall Sverige.

» Lars Stjernkvist (Social Democratic Party), chair of the municipal executive committee in Norrköping, was appointed board chair of Avfall Sverige at the annual meeting.

» Avfall Sverige's annual meeting was held in Stockholm, with 645 participants. Topics such as planning-related issues, changes in behaviour and new technological solutions were discussed.

» Avfall Sverige's autumn meeting was well attended, and 413 people participated to gather knowledge and ideas about fossil freedom and resource-efficient eco-cycles.

» Ängelholm was named waste municipality of the year.

SWEDEN » In January, the Government’s waste policy was

presented in a 73-point programme that forms the basis for a government cooperation between the Social Democratic Party, the Green Party, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party. A number of issues relate to waste management, which was also addressed in the Government declaration.

» Avfall Sverige, FTI and SKR presented an agreement on how municipalities and the business community can work together to increase kerbside/neighbourhood collection of packaging and newspapers.

» The Riksdag made a decision regarding a waste incineration tax. Despite widespread criticism, a tax on incinerated waste went into effect from 1 April 2020.

» The Government appointed an inquiry to propose producer responsibility for textiles and how such producer responsibility can be structured. Avfall Sverige is participating in the inquiry as an expert.

» The Government appointed an inquiry to draw up a proposal on how a tax on disposable items could be structured, and what products should be covered. The purpose of this tax is to capture disposable items that have a negative environmental impact but are not included in the EU ban.

EU AND GLOBAL » The EU decided that beginning 2021 there will be a

ban on a number of disposable plastic items, such as plates, disposable cutlery, cotton swabs, and plastic straws. Fast food containers made of plastic, styrofoam and certain biodegradable plastics are also subject to the ban.

» The EU released its “Green Deal”, a description of how Europe will be the first continent to become climate neutral by 2050. The Green Deal contains 50 points, which will lead the way to climate-neutral production and consumption.

» The UN conducted negotiations within three UN conventions in the fields of waste and chemicals. This resulted in a ban on dicofol, PFOA and PFOA-related substances. A decision was also made to implement stricter regulation of the trade in plastic waste.


Waste agenda

2020 » By 2020, at least 50 percent of food waste from

households, large-scale kitchens, stores and restaurants shall be separated and treated biologically to recover plant nutrients, and at least 40 percent shall be treated to recover energy.

» By 2020, at least 70 percent by weight of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste shall be prepared for reuse, material recycling or other material utilisation.

» In 2020, a traceability system for hazardous waste shall be ready to begin use. In the original proposal, the system would be ready by 5 July. The proposal now in place is that it will be ready by 1 November.

» On 31 December 2020, all relevant organisations shall enter data in the system to ensure traceability of hazardous waste.

» On 1 December 2020, the Committee on Environmental Objectives (Miljömålsberedningen, M2010:4) will report on its assignment.

» On 10 December, the inquiry Producer responsibility for textiles will present their results.

2021 » From 2021, there is a ban on the sale of plastic

products such as plates, disposable cutlery, cotton swabs and plastic straws. Fast food containers made of plastic, styrofoam (EPS) and certain biodegradable plastics are also subject to this ban. The ban applies throughout the EU and when the packaging is intended for immediate consumption.

» From 2021, producers shall offer removal of packaging and recyclable paper* from at least 60 percent of all residential properties.

» In 2021, the municipalities shall provide systems for collecting food waste that households have separated from other waste from the households and transporting the food waste away separately from other waste.

2024 » Separate collection of biowaste shall become

compulsory (EU requirement).

2025 » At least 55 percent of municipal waste in the EU shall

be recycled to new material as per the EU’s recycling targets.

» From 1 January, separate collection of textiles shall become compulsory (EU requirement).

» From 1 April 2025, collection of packaging waste and recyclable paper* shall take place from all residential properties that have not declined this removal.

» From 1 April 2025, the collection of bulky, infrequently-occurring packaging (large packaging that normally occurs rarely in a household) will be required.


be recycled to new materials as per the EU’s recycling targets.


be recycled to new materials as per the EU’s recycling targets.

» Maximum 10 percent of waste may go to landfill. The EU countries that sent 60 percent or more of their household waste to landfill in 2013 have been granted a five-year extension.



About Avfall Sverige

Avfall Sverige is the municipalities’ trade association in the field of waste management and recycling. Avfall Sverige’s members ensure that waste is collected and recycled in all Swedish municipalities. We perform our work on behalf of society: in an environmentally sound, sustainable and long-term manner. Our vision is “Zero Waste”. We are taking action to minimise waste, promote reuse and ensure that the waste produced is recycled, recovered and managed in the optimal manner. Municipalities and their enterprises are the ambassadors, catalysts and guarantors of this change.

There are two categories of members at Avfall Sverige: » Municipalities, municipal enterprises, municipal

associations, etc. whose work is based on public duties and tasks. These members have the right to vote at annual meetings and make decisions on Avfall Sverige's statutes and policies, etc.

» Associate members are private sector stakeholders, including suppliers of services and equipment and consultants.

ANNUAL MEETING AND THE BOARDAvfall Sverige’s highest decision-making body is the annual meeting, which makes decisions regarding bye-laws, policies, budget framework, the Board and the Nominating Committee. In policy matters, Avfall Sverige’s opinions and positions are established by the Board after being prepared by working groups, the Development Committee and the Administrative Office. Avfall Sverige's Board consists of 18 directors, of whom ten are elected representatives and eight are civil servants. All directors have term of office lasting two years.

NOMINATING COMMITTEEThe Nominating Committee consists of seven members, of whom four are elected representatives and three are civil servants. The principal auditor and one alternate auditor are elected to serve for a period of one year at the annual meeting.

AVFALL SVERIGE’S WORKING GROUPSAvfall Sverige's broad area of operation is reflected in the eight working groups, in which representatives of its members (primarily municipalities) participate. The Administrative Office’s advisory consultants, who are specialists in different areas, participate in the relevant group. Within the working groups, there are 14 different operational groups, where members work with issues related to specific operational areas. No less than 200 member representatives are involved in at least one working group or one of its operational groups. Working groups are an important link between the members and the Administrative Office, as well as member-to-member.

ADVISORY SERVICESMembers can make use of Avfall Sverige’s specialist expertise via Avfall Sverige's reports or by contacting the Administrative Office directly. The advisory services are highly appreciated, with advice provided by phone and email, through guides and handbooks, and in the form of contract templates and standard agreements.

Avfall Sverige often acts as intermediary between members and others who can contribute more knowledge and experience on various issues.

Membership development in 2019

Avfall Sverige has a total of 366 members. The municipal members represent 289 of Sweden’s 290 municipalities, directly or indirectly through regional companies and municipal associations. There were 142 associate members.

associated

142

municipal

224


NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION AND NETWORKS

Avfall Sverige collaborates extensively with other organisations in Sweden and abroad. External collaboration benefits Swedish waste management and the members of the association.

Avfall Sverige's advisory consultants contribute their particular expertise in each organisation.

Examples of national collaboration: » Swedish Association of Local Authorities

and Regions (SKR) » Swedish Environmental Protection Agency » Energiföretagen Sverige » Swedish Gas Association » Svenskt Vatten » Keep Sweden Tidy

Examples of international collaboration: » Municipal Waste Europe (MWE), which

represents the interests of municipalities and municipal enterprises in the EU.

» CEWEP (Confederation of European Waste-to-Energy Plants), which represents the interests of stakeholders in the energy recovery sector.

» ECN (European Compost Network), which works with issues related to biological treatment at the EU level.

» ISWA (International Solid Waste Association), the global waste organisation


QUALITY CERTIFIED OPERATIONSAvfall Sverige's entire operations have been quality certified according to ISO 9001:2015 since 2018. Quality work is an important part of our operations.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRY THROUGH TRAINING INITIATIVESAvfall Sverige has an extensive training programme designed to increase the level of knowledge and competence in the industry. It consists of courses, both physical and web-based, theme days and contracted courses. The direction of the training programme is supported by the working groups and therefore caters for the needs of members and the industry alike. 25 courses and theme days were held in 2019.

NATIONAL LOBBYING AND DIALOGUE WITH DECISION MAKERSAvfall Sverige is an active participant in government inquiries and when new bills are prepared. At meetings with the Government Offices, MPs, government officials and government agencies, Avfall Sverige is often represented by the Managing Director and various consultants. Board representatives and members also participate at times.

On several occasions during the year, Avfall Sverige – along with its allied organisations Energiföretagen Sverige, the Swedish Gas Association, and Svenskt Vatten – organises meetings with MPs and attends municipal days and congresses arranged by the parties represented in the Riksdag.

Avfall Sverige also participates actively in lobbying through opinion pieces and replies, either independently or with other actors.

CONSULTATIVE RESPONSESAs a representative of the municipalities and their waste management, Avfall Sverige plays an important role as consultative body and actively contributes opinions ahead of political decisions through its official consultative responses. The organisation therefore has ongoing contact with the Riksdag and Government, as well as with a number of authorities in issues related to waste management. In addition to consultative responses, Avfall Sverige provides opinions on issues affecting the industry.

FUNDINGAvfall Sverige’s activities are mainly budget-based and they follow the mission statement that is approved through the general budget at the annual meeting and through the detailed budget by Avfall Sverige's Board. Revenues are made up, in basically equal proportions, of membership dues and fees on the one hand and income from commercial activities such as courses, conferences, consulting assignments, publications, etc., on the other. All members pay membership dues and a service fee. Dues and service fees for municipal members (municipalities, municipal enterprises and similar) are based on the size of the population. For associate members, the fee is a fixed charge at two levels, depending on the size of the company.

opinion pieces

12

replies3

pieces of correspondence

7

consultative responses

2019

15


AVFALL SVERIGE’S DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME Avfall Sverige champions issues and runs projects in accordance with the waste hierarchy and with the aim of achieving better waste management in society. The organisation invests significant resources in projects intended to move the industry forward.

Avfall Sverige's development initiative began in 1998. Since then, approximately 500 development projects with a total cost of approximately SEK 126 million have been approved. Together with its members, Avfall Sverige has successfully developed the waste industry since that time through relevant, accessible and useful projects.

The projects are based on member involvement, including through questions brought up in the working groups, which gives them a firm footing within the association. They must also be relevant to the majority of Avfall Sverige's members.

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEEAvfall Sverige’s Board appoints the Development Committee, which consists of the association’s eight working group chairs, one other representative of the municipalities, and the Managing Director of Avfall Sverige. With input from the working groups, the Committee decides which products should be granted funding and how the funds should be allocated.

OTHER DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVESThree of the working groups have their own development initiatives, which they fund and decide on themselves. These working groups are energy recovery, biological treatment and waste treatment plants.

REPORTS:The results of Avfall Sverige's development initiatives are presented first and foremost in the form of reports on the Avfall Sverige website. Avfall Sverige publishes approximately 40 reports annually. Since 2008, the reports are distributed in electronic form only. Isolated reports and handbooks are published in printed format. As of 2019, the reports are also summarised in simple presentations, available to all members.

22 guides

2 handbooks

5 templates

8 agreementtemplates

394 reports

Avfall Sverige has an extensive knowledge bank in the form of reports, guides, templates and handbooks. For example, we have published 394 reports since 1998.

Here, in Swedish Waste Management, you will find references to a selection of reports, listed under “Read more” in most chapters. You can also find additional reports in various areas on our website by filtering the reports by topic.

AWARD OF SCHOLARSHIPSAvfall Sverige has been awarding scholarships within the waste management field every year since 2005. The scholarships are awarded for the most deserving papers and degree projects at the undergraduate level at Swedish universities. The Development Committee decides who will be awarded a scholarship.

The priorities of the development initiative must reflect Avfall Sverige's vision and long-term objectives. Updated focus areas for 2019: » Climate » Resource-efficient eco-cycle » Changes in behaviour » Digitalisation


Employees

Tony ClarkManaging DirectorDirect line: 040-35 66 05Mobile: 0722-45 22 [email protected]

Josefin BerglundPublic Relations Officer, Editor of sopor.nuDirect line: 040-35 66 07Mobile: 0705-35 66 [email protected]

Jessica ChristiansenDirector of Training and Operational DevelopmentDirect line: 040-35 66 18Mobile: 0706-69 36 [email protected]

Johan Fagerqvist, on parental leaveAdvisory Consultant for Waste Treatment [email protected]

Anna-Carin GripwallDirector of CommunicationDirect line: 040-35 66 08Mobile: 070-662 61 [email protected]

Åsa HagelinAdvisory Consultant for Waste Minimisation and ReuseMobile: 070-553 15 [email protected]

Henrik JanssonDeputy Legal AdvisorDirect line: 040-35 66 13Mobile: 070-869 35 [email protected]

Karin JönssonEditor of Avfall och Miljö, newsletterDirect line: 040-35 66 17Mobile: 0706-26 40 [email protected]

Petra Kvist CarlssonCourse CoordinatorDirect line: 040-35 66 [email protected]

Sven LundgrenChief Legal AdvisorDirect line: 040-35 66 [email protected]

Britta MoutakisAdvisory Consultant for Reuse and Recycling Centres and Collection of Hazardous Waste and WEEE Head of the Avfall Sverige Yngre networkDirect line: 040-35 66 14Mobile: 0703-58 66 [email protected]

Camilla NilssonSubstitute Advisory Consultant for Waste Treatment PlantsDirect line: 040-35 66 [email protected]

Jon Nilsson-DjerfAdvisory Consultant for Material Recycling, Collection and TransportMobile: 070-526 35 [email protected]

Caroline Steinwig Advisory Consultant for Biological TreatmentDirect line: 040-35 66 [email protected]

Katarina Sundberg, from 17 August.Advisory Consultant for Public Affairs Mobile: [email protected]

Klas SvenssonAdvisory Consultant for Energy RecoveryDirect line: 040-35 66 16Mobile: 0705-08 66 [email protected]

Pernilla SvenssonCourse AdministratorDirect line: 040-35 66 [email protected]

Marie UmarkFinance Assistant, Invoicing, Membership Register, and SubscriptionsDirect line: 040-35 66 [email protected]

Jenny WestinAdvisory Consultant for Statistics, Waste Fees and Private SewersResponsible for Avfall WebDirect line: 040-35 66 15Mobile: 070-518 40 [email protected]

Peter WestlingDirector of Accounting/AdministrationDirect line: 040-35 66 [email protected]


©Avfall Sverige AB

Address

Telephone

E-mail

Website

Baltzarsgatan 25, SE-211 36 Malmö

040-35 66 00

[email protected]

www.avfallsverige.se

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