Sweden's Waste Plan

These days waste management is far more resource-efficient and has less effect on the environment than it did ten years ago. The measures taken since the 1990s to achieve more resource-efficient use of waste have yielded results.

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has produced a national waste management plan (see the link given below) based on the environmental quality objectives. This plan explains the significance of the objectives and it clarifies the connection between objective and measures taken. It also analyses the effects of various policy instruments and measures, and it points the way to the future by defining five areas given priority within waste management.

Landfilling has decreased and material recovery, biological treatment and incineration for energy recovery have increased as a result of more sorting of waste at source and changes in waste treatment. The quantity of energy and materials recovered has risen dramatically. These measures have also reduced the environmental impact of waste management. Greenhouse gas emissions have fallen and there has also been a general decrease in emissions of hazardous substances such as heavy metals and organic pollutants.

This is the effect of a number of powerful instruments:

• Producers have been made responsible for dealing with packaging, newspapers, tyres, cars and electrical and electronic waste.
• Prohibitions and taxes have been imposed on landfill.
• More demanding recovery and recycling targets have been adopted.
• EU membership has meant more stringent standards for hazardous waste, landfill and incineration.

In this Strategy for Sustainable Waste Management we wish to place the action taken to achieve this change in context and set out the desired course to be followed over the next few years. Although progress has been made over the last ten years, there is still plenty of scope for improvement.

The aims of Swedish waste management are formulated in the national environmental objectives

”The total quantity of waste should not increase, and the maximum possible use should be made of the resource that waste represents, while at the same time minimising the impact on, and risk to, health and environment.”

Contact: Catarina Östlund
E-mail: catarina.ostlund(a)naturvardsverket.se