Swedish 2020 Waste Management

Swedish Waste Management 2020 | 1

SwedishWaste Management

2020

2 | Swedish Waste Management 2020 Swedish Waste Management 2020 | 3

Contents Preface

This year’s statistics are encouraging in that they show an increase in the amount of waste going to material recycling. The total quantity has increased by five percent, from 147 kg/person to 155 kg/person. The increase can be seen in packaging waste, WEEE and scrap metal. We can also see a “corona effect” on waste statistics, something many municipalities and recycling centres can attest to. Many are clearing out and remodelling their homes, and this is reflected, for example, in the collection of bulky waste, which increased by 10 percent.

Biological treatment has increased by 13 percent, while residual waste decreased by 5 percent. Increased separation of food waste and packaging has thus made an impact.

This shows that we are on the right track towards reaching the goal of a 25 percent reduction in food and residual waste quantities by 2025 (compared to 2015’s figures) set by Avfall Sverige and the municipalities. Energy recovery has fluctuated in recent years, and decreased by 8 percent in 2020.

Municipal waste amounted to 4.8 million tonnes in total, equivalent to 467 kg per person. This is a reduction of 1 kg compared to 2019. This is good, but not enough. In order to achieve a shift wards the vision of “Zero Waste”, we need to work more preventively. We need to reuse and repair more of what is broken instead of throwing it away and buying new. A lot happened in 2020 that affects us in the waste industry. One of the biggest events was the government's decision to abolish producer responsibility for recyclable

paper and instead shift responsibility for the collection and recycling of newspapers, advertising leaflets and other printed matter to municipalities. Decisions were also taken on new waste legislation. Among other things, the new legislation replaces the concept of household waste with municipal waste and gives municipalities the possibility to finance information on waste prevention as well as the collection and sorting of products for reuse through the waste tax.

Even in the spring of 2021, much has happened. A new government inquiry was launched on collection responsibility for packaging waste. The Government has also proposed that biogas vehicles no longer be classified as green vehicles, a death blow for Swedish biogas. Producer responsibility for textiles has been investigated, a tax on single-use products introduced, and the fourth inquiry on so-called free choice has been carried out.

Swedish Waste Management 2020 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 municipal waste in Sweden. Statistics are taken from the Avfall Sverige’s web-based statistics system, Avfall Web, and from producer organisations.

Swedish Waste Management also includes a brief presentation of Avfall Sverige’s operations and what has happened in the industry during the year.

Malmö, July 2021.

Tony Clark

Preface 3

How Swedish waste management works 4-6

Waste quantities 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 municipal waste 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

2020 in brief 41

Waste agenda 42

About Avfall Sverige 43-45

Employees 46


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.

Hazardous waste can be treated using one or more of these methods, depending on its properties. Waste that may contain hazardous substances should not undergo material recycling, but should instead be 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 MUNICIPALITIES Under the Swedish Environmental Code, each municipality is responsible for ensuring that municipal waste3 within the municipality is transported and recycled or disposed of. Municipal waste refers to waste from households and waste that is similar in nature and composition to waste from households, such as waste from restaurants, shops, offices, etc4. Certain types of waste are not municipal waste if going strictly by the definition, but are included in municipal responsibility for collection, recycling, etc. These include sewer fractions from private sewers, and construction and demolition waste not produced by professional operations.

Every municipality is required by law to have its own waste and sanitation ordinance which consists of a waste plan and regulations for waste management5.

How Swedish waste management works

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 society3 On 1 August 2020, the term “household waste” was replaced with the term “municipal waste”. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency intends to draw up a guide on the definition of municipal waste. 4 However, it does not include waste from manufacturing, agriculture and forestry, fishing, septic tanks, sewage tanks and sewage treatment, construction and demolition waste, and end-of-life vehicles.5 Avfall Sverige Report 2017:01 Basis for the waste disposal regulations in the Municipal Waste Regulation Ordinance

Prevention

Reuse

Material recycling

Energy recoveryLandfill

Waste hierarchy

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 municipal 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.

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.

*Producer responsibility for recyclable paper ends on 31 December 2021, at which time responsibility shifts to the municipalities.


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-municipal waste (incl. fractions from private sewers and construction and demolition waste from households), 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.

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.

PRIVATE CONTRACTORS OR IN-HOUSEIn 64 percent of the country's municipalities, the collection of food and residual waste is primarily carried out by private contractors. 32 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 decision-making power.

Waste treatment is either undertaken by the municipalities themselves, or by an external contractor (chosen in a procurement procedure), 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.

In 2020, the quantity of municipal waste treated was 4,839,430 tonnes. For the population as a whole, every Swede produced 466 kg of municipal waste in 2020, which is one kg less per person than in 2019.

37 percent, 1,779,660 tonnes, went to material recycling, including the recycling of construction material. This corresponds to 171 kg/person and is 9 kg more than last year.

776,280 tonnes were sent to biological treatment. This corresponds to 75 kg/person. This is an increase of 8 kg since 2019. The increase is partly due to more municipalities starting to collect food waste, but also because more garden waste being collected for composting. 16 percent of municipal waste underwent biological treatment in 2020.

Energy recovery decreased by almost 8 percent to 2,240,990 tonnes, or 216 kg/person. 46 percent of municipal waste went to energy recovery in 2020.

The quantity of municipal waste sent to landfill increased by 14 percent to 42,500 tonnes, but is 4 kg/person just like last year. Landfill accounts for 0.9 percent of the total amount of the waste managed.

MUNICIPAL 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 2019, show that municipal waste quantities in the EU amounted to 502 kg per person for the population as a whole. 49 percent of the municipal waste was treated through material recycling, including biological treatment. In total, 27 percent went to energy recovery and 24 percent was sent to landfill within the EU6. As the revised EU Waste Directive is implemented, more comparable definitions will gradually lead to clearer and more accurate statistics.

Waste quantities

Municipalities

Breakdown of responsibilities Quantity Proportion

Municipal self-administration 113 39%Municipal association 47 16%Joint board 7 3%Municipal enterprise, wholly-owned 53 18%

Municipal enterprise, partially-owned 70 24%

The statistics on municipal waste are mainly taken from Avfall Sverige’s “Avfall Web” system. Some data are obtained 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 municipal waste statistics.

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

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millions of tonnes

Material recyclingRecycling ofconstruction materials

Biological treatmentEnergy recoveryLandfill

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

Percentage of municipalities

Solely private contractors 64%Solely in-house 32%Combination of in-house and contractors 4%

Service providers for the collection of food and residual waste 2020

Waste management organisation 2020

Waste trends 2016–2020

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.


Treated volumes of municipal waste 2016–2020 (tonnes)

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Material recycling 1,468,250 1,462,060 1,500,950 1,521,760 1,606,670

Recycling of construction material 156,830 165,200 145,770 146,790 172,990

Biological treatment 757,480 731,880 732,660 685,980 776,280

Energy recovery 2,262,610 2,400,440 2,362,160 2,426,610 2,240,990

Landfill 31,000 23,650 32,710 37,370 42,500

Total volume treated 4,676,170 4,783,230 4,774,250 4,818,510 4,839,430

Treated volumes of municipal waste 2016–2020 (kg/person)

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Material recycling 147 144 147 147 155

Recycling of construction material 16 16 14 14 16

Biological treatment 76 72 72 67 75

Energy recovery 226 237 231 235 216

Landfill 3 2 3 4 4

Total volume treated 468 473 467 467 466

Treated volumes of municipal waste 2016–2020 (%)

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Material recycling 31.4% 30.6% 31.4% 31.6% 33.2%

Recycling of construction material 3.4% 3.5% 3.1% 3.0% 3.6%

Biological treatment 16.2% 15.3% 15.3% 14.2% 16.0%

Energy recovery 48.4% 50.2% 49.5% 50.4% 46.3%

Landfill 0.7% 0.5% 0.7% 0.8% 0.9%

Total volume treated 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Collected volumes of food waste, residual waste, and bulky waste, 2016–2020 (tonnes)

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Food and residual waste 2,240,690 2,213,540 2,214,320 2,162,230 2,095,460

of which food waste 358,790 373,100 389,810 417,430 426,370

Bulky waste 1,725,670 1,760,140 1,685,670 1,730,570 1,909,360

Collected volumes of food waste, residual waste, and bulky waste 2016–2020 (kg/person)

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020Food and residual waste 224 219 216 209 202

of which food waste 36 37 38 40 41

Bulky waste 173 174 165 168 185

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.

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F1: Position in waste ladderF2: Position in waste ladder, withconsideration given to increase in waste quantity

Overview 1975–2020

Movement indicators F1 and F2

Collected volumes vs volumes actually treated 2020

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Material recyclingBiological treatment

Incineration with energy recoveryLandfill

millions of tonnes


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

PREVENTING WASTE LEADS TO THE GREATEST ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT Preventing 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 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. At present, more than 90 municipalities are committed to working towards the goal. In 2015, the average volume of food and residual waste was 225 kg per person nationally. 25 percent represents a reduction of 56 kg, making the remaining volume of food and residual waste 169 kg. By 2020, the quantity of food and residual waste decreased by 10 percent (23 kg/person) to 202 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 yielded results in terms of reduced waste volumes and costs, as well as a better working environment and better organisation. The work method is described in a handbook7 that is also used in Avfall Sverige’s waste prevention course. There are also reports describing good examples from municipalities working according to the method.

Another example of a tool is a guide to reducing the use of single-use plastics at various events8. The guide describes a deposit system with reusable materials as an alternative to single-use plastic.

Avfall Sverige also works a lot with communication on prevention. This includes focusing on invisible waste, i.e. waste arising at the production stage that 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.

Other communication material that has been produced is “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.

Yet 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.

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.

All municipalities are obliged to draw up a waste plan that includes waste prevention. The work with municipal waste plans has been compiled in a report9, which can also be used in waste prevention work. A new obligation, implemented in 2020, is that all municipalities must provide information to households on waste prevention measures. Another change is that the waste collection charge, known as the waste charge, may be used for these measures.

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.

At present, about 60 percent of the recycling centres have simpler means for accepting materials for reuse, often in collaboration with aid organisations. There are also recycling centres 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 activities10.

To facilitate the prevention and reuse work of the municipalities, Avfall Sverige has published a guide that explains the legal requirements11.

READ MORE IN AVFALL SVERIGE’S REPORTS

• 2018:18 Sharing gadgets, space, vehicles and time – A guide to sharing economy in the municipalities

• 2018:29 Potential for increased reuse – case study recycling centres

• 2019:08 Results and experiences from using Avfall Sverige’s waste prevention method – “Översta steget” [Top step] and other projects

• 2019:19 Climate impact from different waste fractions

• 2019:21 Mapping of edible food waste initiatives• 2019:32 Reuse of construction and demolition

materials and products in municipalities• 2020:21 Guide – Minimisation masters

Prevention and reuse

Members can find good examples of reuse activities in Infobasen at avfallsverige.se

18,00016,00014,00012,00010,0008,0006,0004,0002,000

02016 2017 2018 2019 2020

tonnes

Construction materialsTextilesFlea market materials, etc.

Collection of materials and textiles for reuse amounted to 36,800 tonnes in 2020.

+173%

since 2014

Materials collected for reuse 2016–2020

7 Avfall Sverige Report 2017:17 Handbook for preventing waste in the municipality – Methods and inspiration8 Avfall Sverige Report 2021:03 Guide for events without single-use products9 Avfall Sverige Report 2019:25 Waste prevention and reuse in municipal waste plans

10 Avfall Sverige Report 2020:08 Good examples of municipal reuse work 11 Avfall Sverige Guide #9: Legal requirements for prevention and reuse

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


The volume of food waste collected increased by 2 percent to 426,370 tonnes, amounting to 41 kg/ person. In 2020, 251 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 municipal waste. 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 levels of material recycling, the intention has been to introduce kerbside collection of packaging and recyclable paper from households in accordance with ordinance amendments12 from 2018. Kerbside/neighbourhood collection shall be expanded and be the primarily collection methods so as to increase material recycling. In 2020, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy established an inquiry to review producer responsibility for packaging. The inquiry will propose new regulations on the collection and recycling of packaging to achieve a higher degree of recycling. One of the alternatives being investigated is whether municipalities should be responsible for collection. On 22 December 2020, the Government also decided to abolish producer responsibility for recyclable paper. Responsibility will instead be shifted to the municipalities, including material recycling, from 1 January 2022.

At present, over 60 percent of the apartment blocks have kerbside collection of packaging and recyclable paper, where the fractions are collected in separate bins or

underground containers. There is also 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, and residual waste lower, in municipalities with kerbside collection.13

60 PERCENT INCORRECTLY SORTEDOver 60 percent of the contents of household rubbish bags could be recycled14. 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 37 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.

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 SYSTEM Waste 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 are a fast-growing collection system throughout the country. Containers placed underground reduce the need for space at street level, where only the disposal hatch/chute is visible. The temperature underground is relatively low, which prevents bad odours. The containers are emptied using a vehicle with loader crane.

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 municipal waste that is too heavy, too bulky or otherwise inappropriate for collection in bags or bins.

A growing number of recycling centres are focusing more and more on enabling municipal inhabitants to turn in items for reuse. Many recycling centres partner with volunteer organisations that resell the items, while some recycling centres allow visitors to freely pick up and drop off items directly on site.

In several places in the country, there are recycling centres where households can drop off their waste outside of normal opening hours when staff are not present. Some recycling centres are unmanned 24 hours a day. In order to access the recycling centres, the visitor must have completed a short training programme in sorting and received a so-called green card. Interest in offering visitors a green card is increasing among Sweden’s recycling centres.

There are also mobile recycling centres, manned mobile centres that accept e.g. hazardous waste, some bulky waste and usually also WEEE and items for reuse. 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.

Collection and transport

12 Read more about the new ordinances in Avfall Sverige Guide #21 2018 packaging and recyclable paper ordinances and requirements for household food waste collection. 13 Avfall Sverige Report 2020:27 Household waste in figures – municipal and county statistics 2019 14 Avfall Sverige Report 2016:28 What do households put in their waste bins?

2,095,460 tonnes202 kg/personThe per-person volume of food and residual waste collected decreased by 3 percent in 2020.

In 2020, households dropped off 1,909,360 tonnes (+3%) of bulky waste, mostly at municipal recycling centres.

There are 586 recycling centres throughout the country which combined receive about 30 million visits annually.

586 pcs.

This volume of bulky waste corresponds to 185 kg/person.

185 kg/person1,909,360

tonnes

Swedish Waste Management 2020 | 1514 | Swedish Waste Management 2020

15 Avfall Sverige Report 2017:11 Safety at recycling centres16 Avfall Sverige Report 2021:01 The WEE collection containers of the future at recycling centres 17 Avfall Sverige Report 2015:07 Cooking oil sorting and treatment – good examples from municipalities and housing companies*Producer responsibility for recyclable paper ceases on 31 December 2021

Biogas 37%HVO/Other renewable 44%Diesel 16%Natural gas 3%

Many of Sweden’s recycling centres have been greatly affected by thefts and break-ins15. 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. Small electronics are the main target of theft, and several new solutions are being investigated to improve security16. To improve security, 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 oil17. 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.


• 2017:31 Manual for hand-picking analysis of household food and residual waste

• 2018:10 Access systems at recycling centres• 2018:11 Kerbside collection in an urban environment• 2018:16 Waste planning handbook• 2018:32 Build a recycling centre! Updated manual

for designing recycling centres• 2018:37 Good examples of mobile recycling centres

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 plants18 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 needed19. The treatment charge for sludge from sludge separators averaged SEK 141 per tonne, excluding VAT, in 2020. Almost 40 percent of the sludge from private sewers was used on agricultural land, and 29 percent was used to cap landfills.

200 municipalities have reported that they handle 58,600 latrine waste collections per year, in total 940 tonnes of latrine waste. The scope varies from one latrine waste collection per year in certain municipalities to up to 7,000 collections in municipalities with many second homes. The number of latrine waste collections has decreased by 24 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 traps20 and micro treatment plants21, have been installed in recent years. This is in response to requirements imposed on the reduction of emissions that cause eutrophication. The emptying and treatment of filter material from phosphorus traps and sludge from micro treatment plants is part of the municipal waste management responsibility. Only a small number of municipalities have replacement routines for phosphorous traps, and only 140 tonnes of phosphorus filter material was collected in 2020.

SLUDGE COLLECTION87 percent of municipalities employ private contractors for the collection of sludge; 9 percent undertake this in-house and the remaining 4 percent use a combination. Half of the 180 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 drainage can be performed with a one-compartment or two-compartment vehicle. 79 percent of the municipalities use full drainage, 7 percent use mobile dewatering, 11 percent use partial drainage with two-compartment vehicle, and 3 percent use partial drainage with one-compartment vehicle.

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 process22.

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 criteria23.

18 Revaq certification applies to sludge from treatment plants; see svensktvatten.se19 Avfall Sverige Report 2016:20 Dewatering of sludge from small wastewater treatment plants – quality and disposal20 Avfall Sverige Guide #19 Phosphorous filters – handling and replacement21 Avfall Sverige Report U 2013:14 Micro treatment plants in private sewers22 Avfall Sverige Guide #13: Sustainable occupational health and safety during sludge collection from private sewers23 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”

Fuel for the collection of food and residual waste 2020

Most common collection systems for single-family houses 2020

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 175 municipalities. These may have more renewable fuels than Sweden as a whole.

Two separate bins(one for food waste,

one for residual waste)52%

Multi-compartment bins

(Mainly 4-compartment)

21%

Only one bin14%

Different coloured bags for optical sorting

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

residual waste + food waste + newspapers/packaging waste)

13%

Swedish Waste Management 2020 | 1716 | Swedish Waste Management 2020

100,000

80,000

60,000

40,000

20,000

0

Agricultural or forest land 39%Landfill capping 29%Construction soil 19%Other disposal 13%

Full drainage 79%Dewatering technique 7%Partial drainage (two-compartment vehicle) 11%

Partial drainage (one-compartment vehicle) 3%

Solely private contractors 87%Solely in-house 9%Combination of in-house 4%and contractors

Hazardous waste

97,230 tonnes of hazardous waste25 were collected from households in 2020 (equivalent to more than 9.4 kg per inhabitant), an increase of 23 percent compared to 2019. This also includes 70,170 tonnes of impregnated wood and 3,060 tonnes of asbestos. Hazardous waste in the form of paint, chemicals and oil waste amounted to 24,000 tonnes. All types of hazardous waste have increased from 2019 to 2020.

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 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 201826. 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. The Avfall Sverige report “Where does hazardous waste go?” from 2017 shows that about 343,000 tonnes were exported to European treatment plants.

COLLECTION SYSTEMSThe most common collection system for hazardous household waste is dropping it off at 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 waste, for example through collection containers hung off of waste bins or boxes in refuse rooms27.

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 2018 27 Avfall Sverige Report 2015:23 Kerbside and consumer-oriented collection of hazardous waste from households

tonnes

2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

Volume of hazardous waste collected(excl. impregnated wood and asbestos)Volume of hazardous waste collected(incl. impregnated wood)Volume of hazardous waste collected(incl. asbestos and impregnated wood)

Many municipalities have multiple complementary collection forms, such as battery bins, mobile recycling centres, green vehicles, recycling stations, and collection bins in shops.

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.

READ MORE IN AVFALL SVERIGE’S REPORTS• 2016:07 Sustainable eco-cycle of small sewers• 2016:12 Drainage of sludge separators – comparative

study of full drainage, mobile dewatering and partial drainage

• 2019:02 Sludge collection with two-compartment vehicle. Smaller amount to transport and treat – better environment!

• 2020:16 A comparative study of two sludge collection techniques – full drainage and mobile dewatering with polymers

Total quantity 663,330

Sludge separators, number of plants 506,260

Sludge separators, number of collections 529,300

Closed tanks, number of plants 87,300

Closed tanks, number of collections 162,100

Number of individual wastewater treatment plants 2020

80,000

60,000

40,000

20,000

0

Quantity

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

SEK per collection, incl. VAT

Greaseseparators

LatrineSludgeseparators

Closed tanks

25,500

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

02013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Quantity

Micro treatment plantsPhosphorous traps

Collection charges 2020

Number of micro treatment plants and phosphorous traps 2013–2020

Number of latrine waste collections 2016–2020

Sludge collection service providers 2020

Sludge collection technique 2020

Disposal of sludge 2020

Volume of hazardous waste collected 2000–2020

GREASE SEPARATORS AND COMBINATION SYSTEMS Approximately 148,670 tonnes of sludge from 17,420 grease separators were treated by the municipalities in 2020 (data from 182 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. On average, the treatment charge amounted to SEK 424 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.

24 Avfall Sverige Report 2018:35 Grease separators and combination systems with separators for food waste and grease


COLLECTION SYSTEMSSince producer responsibility for electrical and electronic products28 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 586 municipal recycling centres found throughout the country. But, the majority of municipalities have several different collection systems for WEEE, both kerbside and consumer-oriented29.

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.

WEEE and batteries

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 plastic 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.

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

corresponds to 15 kg/person

15 kg/person

8,000

7,000

6,000

5,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

1,000

02014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

tonnes

Built-in and portable batteriesAutomotive batteries

200,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

-03 -05 -10 -15 2020

tonnes

155,840 tonnes of WEEE, excluding batteries, were collected in 2020. This is an increase of 6 percent compared to 2019.

155,840 tonnes

#invisiblewasteIt’s not always what you see that is the true heavyweight

1,200 kg invisible waste

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

Volume of collected batteries 2014–2020

Collected WEEE for material recycling 2003–2020

Source: El-Kretsen and Recipo

Swedish municipal waste 2020

Deponering 1,2 GWh värme0,05 GWh el

1000 GWh är energin som krävs för att driva alla

Sveriges tåg, tunnelbanor och spårvagnar under fem

månader.

1 GWh är energin som krävs för att täcka

elbehovet i en stad av Lunds storlek (cirka

100 000 invånare) under åtta timmar.

Avfallsförbränning försörjer totalt sett 780 000 hushåll med el och 1,4 miljoner hushåll med fjärr-värme.

Bränsle (biogas) till 20 000 biogasbilar som kör 1 500 mil/år.

6 100 GWh värme

Restavfall och grovavfallinkl. det som går

till deponering

2 283 000 ton

800 GWh el

ENERGIÅTERVINNING

DEPONERING

RÖTNINGKOMPOSTERING

10 GWh värme + el

220 GWh fordonsgas

401 000 tonbiogödsel

336 000 tonkompostjord

776 000 ton

Mat- och trädgårds-

avfall Total mängd kommunalt avfall:4 839 000 ton

MATERIALÅTERVINNING409 000 tonförlust till energiåtervinning

1 246 000 tonråmaterial

varav farligt avfall:97 000 ton

167 000 tonElektronik

och batterier

168 000 tonReturpapper

505 000 ton

Material från ÅVC

940 000 tonFörpackningar


Relates to benefits from the treatment of municipal waste




månader.






Total mängd kommunalt avfall:4 839 000 ton

MATERIALÅTERVINNING409 000 tonförlust till energiåtervinning

1 246 000 tonråmaterial

varav farligt avfall:97 000 ton

167 000 tonElektronik

och batterier

168 000 tonReturpapper

505 000 ton

Material från ÅVC

940 000 tonFörpackningar


1,606,670 tonnes, 33 percent, of municipal waste went to material recycling in 2020. This corresponds to 155 kg per person. In addition, 172,990 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 729,130 tonnes or 70 kg per person. The total volume also includes 379,590 tonnes of packaging from businesses, mainly comparable to 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 an average of 65 percent by 2025, and an average of 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 recycled30.

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency conducts annual follow-ups of producer responsibility in Sweden, with the latest statistics relating to 201831. At that time, 68 percent of packages were sent to material recycling, which means that the national target of 55 percent is met. Beginning 2020, the recycling target for packaging is 65 percent, which means that Sweden has more stringent requirements than the EU. The target for material recycling of recyclable paper under producer responsibility 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 by the producers. When responsibility for recyclable paper is transferred to the municipalities on 1 January 2022, the target will be material recycling of at least 90 percent by weight of the recyclable paper produced32.

In partnership with the Nordic waste organisations, Avfall Sverige launched a shared system for waste terminology and symbols for waste in 2020. The system can be used 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.

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 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 different systems for kerbside collection in an urban environment33.

Most producers of packaging and recyclable paper have organised their collection and recycling undertakings through the company Förpacknings- och Tidningsinsamlingen – FTI. A small number of producers are organised through the company TMR. From 31 December 2021, producer responsibility for recyclable paper will be abolished and the municipalities will be responsible for the collection and recycling of recyclable paper.

Households, and sometimes also small businesses, can hand in their bulky waste, WEEE and hazardous waste at municipal recycling centres34. 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. A major initiative has been launched in the industry to reuse pallets, which are now sorted separately at many recycling centres.

Garden waste, such as leaves, grass clippings and fallen fruit, is processed 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 biochar35. 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.

Material recycling

30 Read more about the EU Waste Directive https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/SV/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:L:2018:150:FULL&from=EN 31 Swedish Environmental Protection Agency report: Sweden’s recycling of packaging and newspapers. Follow-up of producer responsibility for packaging and newspapers 2019.32 Cf Chapter 4, § 7 b of the Swedish Waste Ordinance (2020:614), as amended on 1 January 2022.

33 Avfall Sverige Report 2018:11 Kerbside collection in an urban environment 34 Avfall Sverige Report 2018:36 Increased sorting of construction and demolition waste35 Avfall Sverige Report 2018:14 The biochar market in Sweden

Examples of the new symbols. Read more about all of the symbols at www.sverigesorterar.se


PLASTICS PROBLEMATIC WHEN IT COMES TO RECYCLING Glass 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 materials36.

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 positions37 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 inquiry38 proposed measures to increase material recycling of plastic and investigate the need for alternative methods/techniques for reuse and material recycling, as well as to establish a national node for coordination.

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has decided to contribute to SIS, the Swedish Institute for Standards, 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, 14,540 tonnes of municipal plastic was collected for recycling in 2020, an increase of 19 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. In 2021, Sörab and Stockholm Exergi opened Sweden’s first automatic sorting plant for recyclable materials from residual waste.

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 textiles from 2024, making Sweden the first country in the EU to implement this. The special textile inquiry proposes a system where producers are given organisational and financial responsibility for collection and recycling. The system must be “appropriate” and nationwide. Non-profit operators have been safeguarded, and can continue to collect textiles for reuse. Other collection can take place, for example, through the municipalities, in shops or through the producers’ system.

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. For example, Sysav has built the world’s first fully automated textile sorting plant, Siptex, in Malmö.

READ MORE IN AVFALL SVERIGE’S REPORTS• 2017:13 Sorting experiments with Swedish residual

waste in ROAF's sorting plant• 2019:03 Introduction to sales of waste –

prerequisites and considerations for different types of materials

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

2,000,000

1,500,000

1,000,000

500,000

01975 1994 2000 2010 2020

tonnes

Material recyclingMaterial recycling, excl. office paper,incl. new fractions for recycling

tonnes kg/person

Recyclable paper 168,400 16.2

Paper packaging 190,860 18.4

Metal packaging 21,750 2.1

Plastic packaging 99,600 9.6

Glass packaging 248,520 23.9

Total 729,130 70.2

Collected municipal waste for material recycling 2016-2020 (tonnes)

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Recyclable paper 269,520 249,900 217,970 189,380 168,400

Packaging made from cardboard, metal plastic and glass 751,410 763,690 820,180 867,680 940,320

Electrical waste including cooling units 132,670 127,800 143,410 147,430 155,840

Portable batteries (incl. built-in) 2,980 3,250 3,170 3,380 3,460

Automotive batteries 7,060 6,610 6,820 6,620 7,310

Oil waste 1,740 1,790 1,770 950 1,000

Water and solution-based paint 4,040 4,210 4,450 3,710 3,770

Other hazardous waste for material recycling 8,550 8,560 4,370 1,030 1,260

Scrap metal 165,400 161,900 161,230 160,790 176,550

Plaster waste 23,830 26,620 24,270 24,960 27,330

Flat glass 1,890 1,580 1,720 2,920 2,900

Plastic, non-packaging 11,040 11,740 12,600 12,200 14,540

Corrugated board from recycling centres 54,970 54,110 53,620 53,470 56,340

Textile waste 1,830 2,240 3,150 5,340 3,490

Other material submitted for recycling, incl. tyres 31,320 38,060 42,220 41,900 44,160

Total material recycling 1,468,250 1,462,060 1,500,950 1,521,760 1,606,670

Recycling of construction material 156,830 165,200 145,770 146,790 172,990

Material recycling, incl. construction material 1,625,080 1,627,260 1,646,720 1,668,550 1,779,660

Collected volumes of packaging and recyclable paper from households that has been dropped off for material recycling 2020

Material recycling households 1975–2020

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

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 comparable to 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.




månader.






RÖTNINGKOMPOSTERING

10 GWh värme + el

220 GWh fordonsgas

401 000 tonbiogödsel

336 000 tonkompostjord

776 000 ton

Mat- och trädgårds-

avfall



In 2020, 776,280 tonnes of municipal waste went to biological treatment – anaerobic digestion or composting. This corresponds to 75 kg per person, and includes both food waste and garden waste. Biological treatment accounts for 16 percent of the total volume of treated municipal waste.

The biological treatment of food waste, excluding home compost, was 449,090 tonnes in 2020. The amount of food waste treated in co-digestion plants increased by 21 percent, while food waste treated in central composting plants decreased by 11 percent.

According to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency's calculations39, approximately 69 kg of food waste is produced per person annually in Swedish households. This equals 693,000 tonnes40. 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, this amounts to 93 kg per person, or 939,000 tonnes. 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 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 energy41.

INCREASED COLLECTION OF SOURCE-SEPARATED FOOD WASTE The collection of source-separated food waste increased by 2 percent in 2020 compared to 2019. 87 percent of the municipalities, i.e. 251, 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.

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, 22 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. More than 1.8 million tonnes of digestate were produced in 2020. 99.9 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 2020, 30% of the digestate produced was approved for use in organic production.

CERTIFIED RECYCLINGPlants that produce compost or digestate from source-separated waste from the foodstuff and/or feedstuff chains can quality label their products through our certified recycling 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. From 1 January 2023, food waste collection bags must be evaluated for contact with foodstuff. Requiring collection bags to be evaluated for contact with foodstuff minimises the risk of unwanted chemicals or heavy metals migrating from the bag into the food waste during transport and storage, or in the digester. The new requirement is an easy-to-understand quality measure that aims to maintain and strengthen the high level of confidence in certified digestate by farmers and food companies.

1.4 million tonnes of certified digestate were produced in 2020 for use as agricultural fertiliser.

Biological treatment

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.

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.

39 Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Report Food waste in Sweden – Incidence and treatment 201840 95 kg (917,000 tonnes) of food waste poured down the drain is included.41 In January 2021, the Government decided on a new milestone, which means that by 2023 at least 75 percent of food waste from households, catering kitchens, shops and restaurants will be sorted and treated biologically so that plant nutrients and biogas are recovered.42 Guide #2: Introduction of system for the collection of source-separated food waste; updated August 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

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 plants 48 Avfall Sverige Report 2016:17 Methane measurement handbook Revision 2016

The collection of source-sorted food waste increased 2018–2020

9%

28 | Swedish Waste Management 2020

READ MORE IN AVFALL SVERIGE’S REPORTS• Avfall Sverige Guide #15: Food waste collection – what

applies under animal by-products legislation? • 2018:31 The food waste recycling processes

of the future• 2018:33 Compilation of knowledge on polymer in the

biogas industry• 2019:05 Fruit bag = paper bag for food waste• 2019:09 Measuring greenhouse emissions using both

conventional and new, innovative technology at digestate storage facilities

• 2019:11 Thermophilic or mesophilic digestion of food waste – which is better?

• 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 environment

• 2020:17 Method for evaluating food waste pretreatment equipment

• 2020:20 Food waste pretreatment – summary of studies of twelve plants

• 2020:24 Exposure risks in the collection of food waste

• 2020:31 Recommendations for the measurement of microorganisms in the working environment of pretreatment and co-digestion plants

• Avfall Sverige report: Certified recycling, SPCR 120 – Annual report

Biological treatment of municipal waste 2016–2020 (tonnes)2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Food waste to co-digestion plants 358,680 353,190 381,090 332,380 401,490

Food waste to central composting plants 35,100 20,410 15,620 9,580 8,530Food waste that undergoes anaerobic digestion at wastewater treatment plants 48,060 44,720 47,460 46,600 39,070

Food waste that is home composted 42,900 37,100 37,040 33,140 32,460

Garden waste to central composting plants 272,740 276,460 251,450 264,280 294,730

Total 757,480 731,880 732,660 685,980 776,280

Biological treatment through anaerobic digestion, total including municipal waste 2016–2020 *

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Volume of waste to anaerobic digestion (tonnes) 1,614,920 1,562,210 1,631,400 1,710,100 1,763,010

Resource economisation (tonnes)Digestate 1,708,320 1,678,260 1,737,110 1,678,740 1,823,620

Energy production (MWh)Vehicle gas 829,280 856,170 848,390 886,840 963,270

Electricity 17,140 5,660 4,610 5,380 5,700

Heating 42,820 36,850 38,240 43,340 48,120

Flaring 35,480 60,230 34,290 57,230 68,390

Other 16,610 16,770 24,900 20,330 21,810

Total (MWh) 941,330 975,680 950,430 1,013,120 1,107,290

Co-digestion plants 2020

Municipality Total, tonnes of which food waste

Alvesta 57,350 1,920Bjuv* 46,310 7,760Borås* 29,900 25,360Falkenberg* 85,260 26,360Falköping 6,870 5,280Gotland* 94,390 7,930Gävle* 19,000 15,170Helsingborg* 125,830 18,550Huddinge* 57,490 36,420Härnösand* 4,220 4,220Höör 26,160 5,730Jönköping* 10,570 7,970Jönköping 8,140 7,470Kalmar* 23,930 2,170Kalmar* 93,520 12,820Karlshamn 14,510 11,940Karlskoga* 44,920 19,680Katrineholm* 66,820 0Kristianstad* 95,000 36,310Laholm* 40,220 4,090Lidköping* 97,790 0Linköping* 105,100 51,800Mariestad 69,250 0Skellefteå 10,840 9,270Skövde* 24,960 3,480Sotenäs 15,390 3,190Sävsjö* 67,420 510Trelleborg* 66,080 0Upplands-Bro* 55,070 28,890Uppsala* 49,870 28,130Uppsala 19,940 0Vårgårda* 80,510 230Västervik 4,610 2,480Västerås* 24,300 16,360Västerås* 79,550 0Örebro* 41,920 0Total 1,763,010 401,490

Plants that compost food waste 2020

Municipality Food waste (tonnes)

Luleå 5,140

Uppsala 60

Östersund 3,330

Total 8,530

Wastewater treatment plants that carry out anaerobic digestion of food waste 2020

Municipality Food waste (tonnes)

Boden 5,200

Borlänge 20

Botkyrka 4,870

Eskilstuna 140

Gothenburg 12,430

Kalmar 4,740

Norrköping 550

Götene 40

Umeå 220

Växjö 6,680

Other, food waste disposer to sewer system 4,180

Total 39,070

Source: Svenskt Vatten

800,000

600,000

400,000

200,000

0-75 -94 -00 -10 2020

tonnes

Biological treatment of municipal waste 1975–2020


Food waste comes from households as well as from restaurants, grocery stores, schools and similar operations that produce waste that is similar to household waste in nature and composition. However, it does not include waste from the food industry, slaughterhouses, etc. Food waste that undergoes anaerobic digestion at wastewater treatment plants includes food waste that travels to the sewer system via a food waste disposer.

Source: Avfall Web, Avfall Sverige.* 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 through anaerobic digestion in Sweden. The Swedish Energy Agency publishes annual statistics on the total production of biogas and digestate in Sweden.

Source: Avfall Web, Avfall Sverige.Avfall Sverige's statistics include digestion plants classified as co-digestion plants, i.e. plants that treat several types of waste. Most co-digestion plants receive municipal 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

6 100 GWh värme

Restavfall och grovavfallinkl. det som går

till deponering

2 283 000 ton

800 GWh el

ENERGIÅTERVINNING

DEPONERING



In 2020, 2,240,990 tonnes of municipal waste went to energy recovery. The measures taken by the plants seem to have paid off, as energy recovery has decreased by 8 percent from 2019. This means that every inhabitant of Sweden sent 216 kg of municipal waste to energy recovery in 2020. Energy recovery accounts for 46 percent of the total volume of treated municipal waste.

Waste is a fuel used in Swedish district heating systems. Energy recovery from waste meets the heating needs of more than 1,445,000 apartments and the electricity needs of more than 780,000 apartments. In 2020, 21.2 TWh of energy was recovered, of which 18.6 TWh was used for heating and 2.6 TWh for electricity. In addition, four plants reported that they delivered 0.12 TWh of district cooling. Sweden is among the countries in Europe that recovers the most energy per tonne of waste, approximately 3.1 MWh per tonne.

In addition to municipal waste, 4.6 million tonnes of other waste, primarily industrial waste and sorting residue, was also treated by Swedish plants.

The capacity for energy recovery in Sweden is greater than the domestic availability of combustible waste. In

2020, Swedish energy recovery plants therefore also treated 1.9 million tonnes of waste from other European countries, 550,000 tonnes of which was municipal 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 158 million tonnes of waste is still sent to landfill(2016)49, 52 million tonnes of which is municipal waste50. This leads to methane emissions equivalent to more than 138 million tonnes of carbon dioxide51. To reduce the environmental impact of landfills, the EU has set a target of maximum ten percent of all municipal 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.

Incinerating plastic waste with fossil content leads to fossil carbon dioxide emissions. To reduce fossil emissions, Avfall Sverige has set targets to cut these in half by 2030 and reduce them to near zero by 2045. Avfall Sverige has investigated what is needed to achieve the targets, and has summarised this analysis in an action study52.

There are 34 incineration plants for municipal waste in Sweden. Kils energi, EON Högbytorp and Söderenergi do not take in municipal waste, but are members of Avfall Sverige and are included in our statistics on energy recovery.

There is residue from combustion. Slag from the furnace makes up about 5 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 example53. 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 jeopardise people or the environment in any way.

Energy recovery

49 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Waste_management_indicators 50 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Municipal_waste_statistics#Municipal_waste_treatment 51 https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/european-union-greenhouse-gas-inventory-202052 Avfall Sverige Report 2021:09 Backcasting – how Sweden can achieve fossil-free energy recovery from waste incineration

53 Avfall Sverige Report 2019:14 Updated decision-making support for recycling granulated slag in specific asphalt-covered construction structures 54 EU Framework Directive on Waste (2008/98/EC) and the Swedish Waste Ordinance (2020:614)55 Read more about the Energy Efficiency Criterion (R1) in appendix 2 of the Swedish Waste Ordinance (2011:927)

READ MORE IN AVFALL SVERIGE’S REPORTS:• 2015:24 Quality assurance upon import of

waste fuel• 2017:02 Who are the polluters? Allocation of emissions

from energy recovery• 2017:06 Industry-wide agreement for quality

assurance of waste fuel• 2017:23 Right item to the right treatment. Material

recycling, waste incineration and the detoxification of society

• 2017:24 Dioxin and waste incineration• 2018:04 Handling the waste stage of plastic composites

with carbon nanotubes• 2018:09 Fire safety during storage of waste fuel• 2018:13 Guide for classifying

incineration residues with calculation methods• 2018:28 How do we achieve fossil-free waste

incineration? – A scenario analysis• 2019:06 Waste incineration for future needs:

scenario analysis and action plans

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 neutralisation 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 method54. Swedish plants fulfil the Energy Efficiency Criterion (R1 formula) by good margin5455.

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.

• 2019:10 Status analysis of the energy industry’s flow of environmental data

• 2019:14 Updated decision-making support for recycling granulated slag in specific asphalt-covered construction structures

• 2019:16 Capacity study 2019 – energy recovery and residual waste volumes through 2024

• 2019:27 Fuel quality – current status and scenarios for composition of residual waste by 2025

• 2019:31 Development of a test method for evaluation of ecotoxicity (HP14) of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ashes…

• 2020:05 Allocation of fossil emissions from energy recovery to producer and consumer components – model proposal

• 2021:09 Backcasting – how Sweden can achieve fossil-free energy recovery from waste incineration


8,000,000

7,000,000

6,000,000

5,000,000

4,000,000

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000-85 -95 -00 -10 2020

tonnes

Waste to energy recovery 1985–2020

20,000,000

15,000,000

10,000,000

5,000,000

0-85 -95 -00 -10 2020

MWh

Energy production from waste 1985–2020

Energy recovery 2016–2020

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Incineration (tonnes)

Municipal waste 2,262,610 2,400,440 2,362,160 2,426,610 2,240,990

Business waste 4,231,500 4,334,230 4,138,760 4,281,900 4,646,980

Total 6,494,110 6,734,670 6,500,920 6,708,510 6,887,970

Production (MWh)

Heating 17,519,352 17,904,587 17,049,448 17,824,810 18,607,670

Electricity 2,199,820 2,242,370 2,183,250 2,296,890 2,593,970

Total 19,719,172 20,146,957 19,232,698 20,121,700 21,201,640

Slag, bottom ash (tonnes) 1,000,780 1,012,730 974,100 1,192,270 1,024,510

RGR, fly ash (tonnes) 296,660 293,140 281,070 293,070 303,060

Energy recovery plants 2020

Processed waste (tonnes) Energy production (MWh)

Municipality Plant Totalof which

municipal waste Heating Electricity

Avesta Källhagsverket 55,030 13,020 169,130 0Boden Bodens Värmeverk 140,700 28,070 324,790 68,010

Bollnäs Säverstaverket 72,830 46,390 160,480 36,170

Borlänge Fjärrvärmeverket, Bäckelund 93,020 26,210 256,480 24,840

Borås Ryaverket 109,430 22,520 278,570 36,520

Eda Åmotsfors Energi 67,100 18,300 152,880 20,260

Eksjö Eksjö Energi AB 48,120 21,470 127,540 13,700

Finspång FTV Värmeverket 27,410 6,090 68,550 0

Gothenburg Sävenäs avfallskraftvärmeverk 535,370 186,220 1,596,140 203,370

Halmstad Kristineheds avfallsvärmeverk 163,060 56,720 468,440 53,470

Helsingborg Filbornaverket 219,500 50,000 529,240 109,320

Hässleholm Beleverket i Hässleholm 49,930 28,360 122,380 4,160

Jönköping Kraftvärmeverket Torsvik 161,130 35,200 441,840 99,610

Karlskoga Karlskoga Kraftvärmeverk 87,900 31,370 146,620 18,780

Karlstad Avfallsvärmeverket på Heden 46,920 37,230 161,300 0

Kil Kils Avfallsförbränningsanläggning 14,520 0 41,350 0

Kiruna Kiruna Värmeverk 56,140 5,480 146,760 20,700

Kumla Ekokem Förbränning 150,770 5,520 282,040 31,710

Köping Norsa avfallsförbränningsanläggning 21,080 15,040 58,220 0

Lidköping PC Filen 111,610 38,550 349,650 15,900

Linköping Gärstadverket 598,630 128,200 1,497,170 310,570

Ljungby Ljungby Energi AB 55,910 46,390 117,970 12,720

Malmö Sysav förbränningsanläggning 598,720 222,900 1,498,080 198,080

Mora Avfallsförbränningen Mora 20,320 12,230 59,000 0

Norrköping E.ON Händelöverket 342,000 45,000 806,000 88,000

Nybro Kraftvärmeverket Transtorp 59,800 59,800 162,460 6,860

Sigtuna Brista kraftvärmeverk 206,090 97,990 518,400 108,300

Skövde Värmekällan 57,790 27,410 176,420 11,880

Stockholm Högdalenverket 688,760 423,080 1,813,650 205,620

Sundsvall Korsta kraftvärmeverk 175,450 92,440 471,750 44,980

Södertälje Söderenergi 475,150 0 1,605,680 269,460

Uddevalla Lillesjö Avfallskraftvärmeverk 120,900 45,100 313,310 55,670

Umeå Dåva kraftvärmeverk 144,590 53,100 357,660 52,340

Upplands-Bro Högbytorp kraftvärmeverk 213,190 0 549,920 96,790

Uppsala Vattenfall AB Värme Uppsala 344,630 114,000 1,253,610 16,340

Västervik Stegeholmsverket 54,070 41,250 185,750 8,840

Västerås Västerås Kraftvärmeverk 500,400 148,210 1,338,440 351,000Other incineration of municipal waste in industrial plant 12,130

Total 6,887,970 2,240,990 18,607,670 2,593,970

Avfall Sverige’s statistics mainly cover waste incineration plants that accept municipal waste. Most also accept other waste. The total amount of waste also includes imported waste. Energy recovery relates to total waste, not just municipal waste.

Total volume of wasteof which household/municipal waste

Total energy production (electricity and heat)of which heat




månader.







In 2020, waste treatment plants that submit data to Avfall Web sent a total of 2,782,750 tonnes to landfill, an increase of 133,440 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 2020, 42,500 tonnes of municipal waste was sent to landfill at 39 plants. A further 26 waste treatment plants send 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. In many cases, the plants also treat biodegradable waste and contaminated excavated material.

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 landfill regulations, introduced in 2008, will be capped by 2030.

In 2019, Avfall Sverige drafted a report on the socio-economic consequences of the landfill tax56. 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. The Government has now appointed an inquiry into exemptions to the waste tax and waste incineration tax (Fi 2021:03). The inquiry is expected to complete its work by 28 February 2022.

LANDFILL GAS AND LEACHATELandfill gas is the term used for the gas produced at a landfill where organic waste was deposited in the past57. 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 climate impact. Since the ban on organic waste going to landfill was introduced, the formation of gas at landfill sites has progressively decreased.

In 2020, approximately 136 GWh of landfill gas was collected in total at 53 waste treatment plants, of which 83 GWh was used for energy.

Energy recovery consisted of 3.2 GWh in the form of electricity and 80 GWh in the form of heating. In all, 53 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

Waste treatment plants with landfills

56 Avfall Sverige Report 2019:26 Analysis of socio-economic consequences of landfill tax in Sweden 57 Avfall Sverige Report D2013:02 Landfill gas handbook


• 2015:09 Landfill waste – mapping and possible disposal

• 2015:13 Decision-making support for handling landfill emissions during capping

• 2016:01 Trends for waste treatment plants with landfill – statistics 2008– 2014

• 2016:11 Aerated ponds• 2016:32 When is active management of

landfill gas no longer necessary?• 2017:04 Decision-making support for recycling

granulated slag in specific asphalt-covered construction structures

• 2017:28 Characterisation of surface water from different types of activities and waste

• 2017:34 Application of the law on tax on waste• 2017:36 Handbook for assessing leachate and

contaminated surface water at waste treatment plants

• 2018:09 Fire safety during storage of waste fuel

• 2018:13 Guide for classifying incineration residues with calculation methods

• 2018:21 Microplastic in treated leachate• 2018:25 PFAS at waste treatment plants• 2018:36 Increased sorting of construction and

demolition waste• 2019:01 Updated assessment criteria for

contaminated excavated material• 2019:13 Guide on BAT conclusions for

waste treatment (WT-BREF)• 2019:26 Analysis of socio-economic

consequences of landfill tax in Sweden• 2020:09 System for wireless temperature monitoring

during storage of waste fuel/biofuel and compost• 2020:11 Surface emissions of landfill gas• 2020:14 Treatment of leachate with

sulphate-reducing bacteria• 2020:26 Treatment methods for contaminated

surplus material• 2021:02 Treatment of PFAS-contaminated water

from waste treatment plants

• 2021:05 Evaluation of PFAS purification effect in two full-scale plants

• 2021:06 Avfall Sverige’s landfill handbook 3.0 Revised landfill handbook – part of the waste management of tomorrow

of or is retained in a landfill. In 2020, 7.3 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 61 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.

Only 0.9 percent of municipal waste was sent to landfill in 2020.

4.1 kg/personof the municipal waste was sent to landfill in 2020.

42,500 tonnes



8,000,000

7,000,000

6,000,000

5,000,000

4,000,000

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000

0-94 -00 -10 2020

tonnes

Landfill quantities in totalof which household/municipal waste

Amounts of waste sent to landfill 1994–2020

Landfilled quantities 2016–2020 (tonnes)

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Amount sent to landfill 1,983,400 2,117,300 2,043,310 2,649,310 2,782,750

of which municipal waste 31,000 23,600 32,710 37,370 42,500

Energy recovery at landfill sites 2016-2020 (MWh)

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Useful energy 140,220 105,780 93,040 94,220 82,750

of which electrical energy* 9,300 18,440 7,210 4,150 3,180

Flaring 36,700 40,170 46,060 41,990 53,050

*Other energy is used for heating

Plants that send municipal waste to landfill 2020

Municipality Plant Total, tonnesof which municipal

waste, tonnesRecovered

energy, MWh

Alingsås Bälinge 22,660 290 1,340Arvika Mosseberg Deponi 2,550 1,210 260

Borlänge Fågelmyra Avfallsanläggning 9,410 2,770 0

Borås Sobackens Deponi 99,010 450 500

Bromölla Åsens avfallsanläggning 930 230 0

Eda Lunden 750 750 0

Eslöv Rönneholms avfallsanläggning 650 290 180

Gotland Slite avfallsanläggning 830 830 0

Grums Karlbergs avfallsstation 500 490 0

Helsingborg NSR Deponianläggning 1,610 410 5,340

Huddinge Sofielunds återvinningsanläggning 68,070 9,380 1,800

Härnösand Älands avfallsanläggning 5,160 140 3,410

Hässleholm Vankiva Aktiva deponier 137,840 120 0

Jönköping Miljöhantering i Jönköping 5,830 930 0

Kalmar Moskogens avfallsanläggning 87,320 5,950 330

Karlskrona Mältans avfallsanläggning 5,190 1,380 0

Karlstad Avfallsupplag Djupdalen 19,550 2,450 0

Kiruna Kiruna deponi 240 220 0

Klippan Hyllstofta avfallsanläggning 350 120 1,460

Kramfors Högbergets avfallsanläggning 25,430 310 0

Laholm Ahla deponi och återvinningscentral 1,570 350 0

Lidköping Kartåsens avfallsanläggning 12,100 150 0

Linköping Gärstad avfallsanläggning 8,190 1,570 0

Ljungby Bredemads avfallsanläggning 3,470 860 0

Ludvika Björnshyttans avfallsanläggning 900 710 100

Motala Tuddarps avfallsanläggning 2,660 260 0

Orust Månsemyrs deponi i drift 1,870 1,870 0

Oskarshamn Storskogens avfallsanläggning 9,960 1,290 0

Piteå* Bredviksbergets avfallsanläggning 9,740 340 0

Skellefteå Degermyran 16,720 620 0

Sunne Holmby Avfallsanläggning 1,200 460 360

Umeå Dåva Deponi- och avfallsanläggning 34,500 1,020 0

Uppsala Hovgårdens avfallsanläggning 11,900 50 0

Vetlanda Flishults avfallsanläggning 100,700 630 0

Västervik Målserums avfallsanläggning 2,080 160 0

Växjö Häringetorp behandlingsanläggning 5,370 1,680 470

Älmhult Äskya 5,300 470 110

Örebro Atleverket 28,990 390 4,620

Östersund Gräfsåsens deponi 10,970 900 0

Other plants in Avfall Web 2,020,680 62,455

Total 2,782,750 42,500 82,750

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 municipal waste.There is some uncertainty about the figures for municipal waste, as it is not always possible to distinguish flows of municipal waste from other waste.

The table only reports the plants that send municipal waste to landfill (and that entered a value in Avfall Web).Avfall Sverige's statistics covers a total of 118 plants. *values from 2019


Municipalities and producers handle the management of municipal 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 2020 was SEK 2,321 (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 1,405, and the average charge for second homes was SEK 1,371 in 2020. On average, the basic charge makes up 44 percent of the total charges for single-family houses.

Many municipalities that introduced the voluntary collection of food waste use the charge as an incentive58. 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 charge59. 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 1.06 and SEK 4.00 per kg for residual waste and between SEK 0 and SEK 3.90 for a food waste bin, combined with various types of bin charges and the fixed basic charge. 32 of the country's municipalities had a weight-based charge in 2020. Some municipalities with food waste collection have lower weight charges for food waste; in some municipalities it is free.

In 2020, the total cost for waste management to municipalities was on average SEK 983 per person, excluding VAT. The municipal cost for collecting food and residual waste was on average SEK 319 per person. Treatment of the waste is not included in this cost. The basic cost averaged SEK 436 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 ones60.

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. Properly formulated financial

Customers, charges and costs

58 Avfall Sverige Report 2014:09 Guidance for structuring waste charges 59 Avfall Sverige Report U 2014:05 Eco-based charge? A guide to weight-based waste charge prior to decision, for implementation and operation 60 Avfall Sverige Report 2016:29 Calculation of waste management costs in Sweden municipalities

Treatment charges for household waste, in SEK per tonne and excl. VAT 2020

Anaerobic digestion, food waste Energy recovery Landfill

Average 490 600 1 050Interval 240–690 490–760 710–1 510

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.

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 has decreased slightly, from SEK 500 to SEK 490 in 2020. The landfill charge increased by 24 percent compared to 2019.

1,000

800

600

400

200

0

SEK

Waste management costs 2016–2020 (SEK per person, excl. VAT)

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

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

1,200

1,000

800

600

400

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

-10 -11 -12 -13 -14 -15 -16 -17 -18 -19 2020 -10 -11 -12 -13 -14 -15 -16 -17 -18 -19 2020

LandfillComposting, food wasteAnaerobic digestion, food wasteEnergy recovery, residual waste

Single-family houseApartment in apartment blockSecond home

Treatment charges 2010–2020 (SEK, excl. VAT) Average waste charges per household 2010–2020 (SEK, incl. VAT)

READ MORE IN AVFALL SVERIGE’S REPORT• 2020:27 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.

SEK5

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

Beginning in 2019, the composting of food waste will no longer be presented due to too few values


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 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 quantity of waste generated in Sweden

Construction work

Waste management and wholesale trade in scrap

Household sector

Service producers

Energy supply

Paper and paper product manufacturing

Metal and metal products

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

Engineering industry

Food product production

Other industries

Millions of tonnes

0 3 6 9 12 15

Total waste generated in Sweden, excl. mining waste 2018

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

60 Report 6932 “Waste in Sweden 2018”

AVFALL SVERIGE• A new common sign system for waste sorting was

launched at mid-year. By the end of the year, around 100 municipalities and an equal number of other organisations, such as property companies, producers and businesses, had adopted the system.

• Avfall Sverige was granted funding from the Nordic Council of Ministers to implement the sign system in all Nordic countries, together with its Nordic colleagues in the Danish Waste Association, Kivo, Samband and Avfall Norge.

• Due to the ongoing pandemic, Avfall Sverige reorganised its entire educational offering and held courses and theme days digitally.

• Avfall Sverige’s annual meeting was held digitally for the first time, with 304 participants.

• The autumn meeting was also held digitally, with the theme “Efficient waste collection – the hub of the circular economy”, with 413 participants.

• Kristianstad was named waste municipality of the year.

• Avfall Sverige’s “Preventer of the Year” award at the Recycling Gala went to Returpunkten Sörab – a central reuse and recycling operation in Sundbyberg.

• Avfall Sverige was given a unique assignment by the UN Development Programme, UNDP, to develop waste management and prevention in three cities in China, Rwanda and Costa Rica. The project is being conducted in collaboration with five municipalities/municipal enterprises.

SWEDEN• The Government decided to abolish producer

responsibility for recyclable paper. Responsibility for the collection and recycling of newspapers, advertising leaflets and other printed matter will be instead be shifted to the municipalities.

• The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency rejected applications from both Förpacknings- och Tidningsinsamlingen, FTI, and TMR for kerbside collection of packaging as neither organisation met the requirements.

• New dates for kerbside collection of packaging waste and separate collection of food waste have been set. The new dates are 1 January 2023 for packaging waste collection, and 1 January 2024 for food waste collection.

• The Government investigators submitted proposals on producer responsibility for textiles. Avfall Sverige participated in the inquiry’s expert group.

• The Government appointed an inquiry tasked with making proposals on what form a deposit system for small electronics, such as mobile phones and tablets,

could take. Avfall Sverige participated in the inquiry as an expert. The assignment was reported in April 2021.

• The Government appointed an inquiry to propose solutions that increase the possibility of professional organisations handling their municipal waste, a so-called free choice. Avfall Sverige participated as an expert in the inquiry, which was reported on 12 April 2021.

• On behalf of the Government, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency introduced a waste register for those who handle hazardous waste in professional operations.

• A tax on single-use products such as cups and food containers made entirely or partly of plastic was proposed by a government inquiry.

• In July, the Government presented its plan for a long-term and sustainable transformation of society, the Circular Economy Strategy. Avfall Sverige welcomes the strategy, but at the same time believes that other instruments are needed for real change. In January 2021, the Government presented an action plan for the work.

• The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency revised Sweden’s national waste plan and waste prevention programme based on new requirements in the EU’s waste package.

• Decisions on new waste legislation were passed in Parliament (Riksdag). Among other things, the new legislation replaces the concept of household waste with municipal waste and gives municipalities the possibility to finance information on waste prevention as well as the collection and sorting of products for reuse through the waste tax.

EU AND GLOBAL• The European Commission presented a new Circular

Economy Action Plan as part of the Green Deal. The action plan sets out several steps for sustainable products to become the norm.

• The EU decided to introduce a new taxonomy for sustainable investments. The taxonomy is part of the EU’s Action Plan for Financing Sustainable Growth. However, Avfall Sverige finds that the taxonomy fails to take into account the environmental benefits of energy recovery and biogas production from waste.

• The Parliament voted through a resolution to increase sustainability by promoting reuse and repair and discouraging practices that shorten the life of products.

2020 in brief


2021• From July 2021, the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive

prohibits the sale of plastic products such as plates, disposable cutlery, cotton buds and straws. Fast food containers made of plastic, styrofoam (EPS) and cer-tain biodegradable plastics are also subject to this ban. The ban applies when the packaging is intended for immediate consumption.

2022• From 1 January 2022, municipalities will be responsi-

ble for the collection and recycling of recyclable paper.

2023• From 2023, producers shall offer collection and

removal of packaging from at least 60 percent of all residential properties. The matter is currently under investigation.

2024• In 2024, the municipalities shall provide systems for

collecting food waste that households have separated from other waste from the households and transport-ing the food waste away separately from other waste.

• Separate collection of biowaste shall become compul-sory (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 shall take place from all residential properties that have not declined this removal. The matter is currently under investigation.

• From 1 April 2025, the collection of bulky, infrequent-ly-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 municipal waste may go to landfill. The EU countries that sent 60 percent or more of their municipal waste to landfill in 2013 have been granted a five-year extension.

Waste agenda

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 consultants and suppliers of services and equipment.

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 17 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 and procurement 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 2020Avfall Sverige has a total of 361 members. The 218 municipal members represent 289 of Sweden’s 290 municipalities, directly or indirectly through regional companies and municipal associations. There are 143 associate members.

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS 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.

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 TidyExamples 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

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

About Avfall Sverige

44 | Swedish Waste Management 2020

DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRY TRHOUGH TRAINING INITIATIVES Avfall 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. 27 courses and theme days were held in 2020.

NATIONAL LOBBYING AND DIALOGUE WITH DECISION-MAKERS Avfall 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 each 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 Parliament 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.

AVFALL SVERIGE’S DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE 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 520 development projects with a total cost of approximately SEK 132 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 30 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.

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.

Avfall Sverige has an extensive knowledge bank in the form of reports, guides, templates and handbooks. Since 1998, we have published 22 guides, 2 handbooks, 5 procurement templates, 8 contract templates and 394 reports.

The priorities of the development initiative must reflect Avfall Sverige's vision and long-term objectives. Focus areas for 2021:• Fossil-free waste management• Resource-efficient eco-cycle• Changes in behaviour• Digitalisation

Members 218 municipal

and 143 associate

19 Opinion pieces and replies

27 Consultative responses9 Pieces of

correspondence


2020


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

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

Johan FagerqvistAdvisory Consultant for Waste Treatment PlantsDirect line: 040-35 66 [email protected]

Anna-Carin GripwallDirector of CommunicationMobile: 070-662 61 [email protected]

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

Andrea HjärneAdvisory Consultant, Senior Environmental Legal AdvisorDirect line: 040-35 66 [email protected]

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

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

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

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

Camilla NilssonAdvisory Consultant for Recycling Centres, Reuse at Recycling Centres, Collection of Hazardous Waste and WEEEDirect line: 040-35 66 [email protected]

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

Caroline SteinwigAdvisory Consultant for Biological Treatment, Coordinator for Biochar IssuesDirect line: 040-35 66 [email protected]

Katarina SundbergAdvisory Consultant for Public AffairsMobile: +46 (0)720-62 40 [email protected]

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

Pernilla SvenssonTraining CoordinatorDirect 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 Charges 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]

Employees

Baltzarsgatan 25, SE-211 36 Malmö

040-35 66 00

[email protected]

www.avfallsverige.se

Address

Telephone

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Swedish 2020 Waste Management

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Transcript of Swedish 2020 Waste Management