The Swedish waste management system is organized through Avfall Sverige, an association of 400 primarily public sector waste management members. Sweden has made significant progress in diverting waste from landfills, with only 1% of household waste sent to landfills in 2020 through a policy framework emphasizing waste prevention, producer responsibility, and economic instruments. The system is based on efficient collection, sorting, and treatment of waste through municipal waste companies and facilities, with generated waste used as a resource for materials recycling, energy recovery, and biogas production.

1. Green Tech Hong Kong, Stockholm
31 th of May 2013
Weine Wiqvist, CEO, Avfall Sverige (The Swedish
Association of Waste Management)
The Swedish Waste Management
System

2. Avfall Sverige
 The Swedish Association of Waste Management
 400 members, primarily within the public sector, but also
private enterprises
 Service providers for the Swedish citizens
 Networking, training &lobbying
 Member of Cewep, ECN, ISWA and Municipal Waste
Europe

3. Waste - a resource
Treatment of household waste in Sweden, 2011 (%)
Landfill
Energy recovery
Biological treatment
Recycling (material)

4. The development

5. Waste prevention
 Reuse through fleamarkets, second hand, collection at
recycling parks, etc
 Food waste, textiles, electronical and demolition waste
in focus – goals proposed
 Deposit fee system for beverage containers/bottles
Generated household waste in Sweden is predicted to double
2010-2030
Generated waste world wide is predicted to rise with 72 %
2010-2025

6. The past and future challenges
6%
2%
30%
62%
1975 2010
36%
13%
49%
1%
40%
15%
44%
1%
2020
Source:

7. 0
200000
400000
600000
800000
1000000
1200000
1400000
1600000
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
Municipal waste
planning compulsory
Towards zero landfilling
Producers’
responsibility
Landfill tax
Landfill ban
combustible
Landfill ban
Organic
Household waste to landfill per year (tonnes)
Goal food
waste
50 %

8. Important success factors
 Public service
 Responsibilities
 Targets,regulations, econo
mical instruments
 Attitudes & public
acceptance
 Co-operation
 Holistic view
 Integrated approach;
material recycling & energy
recovery

9. Clear division of responsibilities
Producer
Citizen
Municipality
Industry

10. Operations
Administration:
 Frequent municipal companies
Collection
 75% out sourcing
(to private companies)
Treatment
 65% out sourcing
(mainly to municipal companies)

11. A system based on resource focus
CombustibleFood
Products District energy/
Electricity
Biogas/Biof
ertilizer
Hazardous
Direct
environ-
mental
benifit
Petrol saved and
industrial
fertilizer saved
Fossil and other
fuels saved
Virgin materials
and energy
saved
Environmental
protection costs
saved
Materials

12. Collection
Collection of waste from
households based on
source separation
 Curbside collection
 Recycling drop-off stations
 Recycling centers
 Various solutions for hazardous
waste collection

13. Infrastructure
Treatment and recycling of
waste based on the character
of the waste
 58 organic waste facilities
 32 waste to energy plants
 79 landfills

14. Efficient and clean waste incineration

15. An important part of the energy system
District energy in Sweden:
Oil
Waste
heat
Biofuels
Waste
5 %
1980
Oil
Carbon
Gas
Waste
heat
Biofuels
Peat
Waste
Heatpumps
Electricity
1993
Fossil fuels
Biofuels
Peat
Waste
Electricity
2008
Heatpumps
Waste
heat
Source:

16. From landfills to modern recycling facilities
(Illustrator: Per Josefsson)

17. An integrated part of a holistic system
Products
Material
recycling
Waste
Incineration
Landfill
Vehicle fuel
Biogas Cooling/ heating
production
Biosolids
Farms
Sewage water
cleaning
Anaerobic
digestion
Electricity
productionOther fuels
Households

18. Waste economy
Municipal waste:
 All costs covered by
municipal waste fees
(not by taxes)
 Tariffs decided by
each municipal
board
 Non-profit
 Allowed to be
differentiated to
encourage source
separation for
recycling
Municipal waste
within producers’
responsibility:
 Costs covered by a
fee added to the
price of every
product

19. Waste fee
Average yearly fee per
household 2011:
• Houses: 240 EUR
• Flats: 150 EUR
Average daily fee
per household

20. Swedish Waste Management
Weine Wiqvist, CEO
weine.wiqvist@avfallsverige.se
+46-70-931599
• Information about swedish waste management in english : www.avfallsverige.se/in
english
• Information about the national platform for export of knowledge and technology:
www.avfallsverige.se/in-english/export
Contact and information