Francesca Reane M.

Ramirez May 10, 2018

BS ChE Engr. Chavez

Sweden’s Revolutionary Waste Management

More than half of the world’s waste — 59% of it, in fact — ends up in landfills.
This means that most of the world’s trash eventually ends up releasing toxins that
contaminate the soil and groundwater, and emit dangerous greenhouse gases that
contribute to pollution. Waste management is done by large groups like industrial plants
and agricultural farms to smallest of the hierarchy like the household. It is done in a way
that is not totally eliminated from the planet instead just transferred to a larger waste
collection wherein it is treated by authorized people. This is done by almost all countries
in general, but it is done different in Sweden.

Sweden is part of the European Union with 9.9 million people and is considered
as a global leader in sustainable waste management. According to the video, Sweden
wants your trash. It is quite surprising as to why would country want garbage and why
would they ask their neighbouring country for trashes. The answer is that Sweden turns
their trash into energy. For several years, the country accumulated enough rubbish to
keep their recycling plants on going. In fact, only one percent of the Swedish waste was
sent to landfills each year. The waste management starts at home where the Swedish
household already separates the things that they use whether it is recyclable or not.
They deposit it into containers waiting outside their houses and it goes immediately to
the recycling stations. They turn their waste into energy which is why even their trucks
which collect garbage are run by recycled electricity or biogas. They use waste as
resource to be made as another material. The wasted water is being purified to the
extent of being potable. Swedish pharmacists accept leftover medicines. And the people
take their larger waste, such as a used TV or broken furniture, to recycling centers.

Their most important method is the waste-to-energy method because it is

efficient and environmentally safe. In fact, it provides district heating and electricity in
Sweden. It is done by using trash as a fuel to generate power just like how they use coil
and oils. The fuel heats the water into steam that controls the turbine to create electricity
therefore giving off power. What is important to note is that the smoke from the
incineration plants is made up of ninety-nine percent non-toxic carbon dioxide and water
meaning it is not harmful at all in the environment. There are a lot of factors to consider
in order for a waste management like this to function. First, how rich is the country. In
order to convert trash into energy, it needs a good place, a plant wherein there is
continuous funding. Next would be the people in the country. Swedish people keeps
their recycling seriously and they separate their waste properly before putting it into
bigger containers for it to be made as another material. Meaning that they have
discipline and they really want to make a change in the world. Next will probably be the
government leaders under the environmental department their waste management
system are continuously being developed and they take risks in developing new
technologies to make more infrastructures. Next will be the private companies who
make materials like clothing and such. They have been participating in the recycling like
for example, a clothing company is accepting old clothes in exchange of gift cards so
that people will not throw their clothes instead the certain clothing company will just
recycle it.
According to the video, they acquire 2.2 million tons of waste from neighbouring
countries namely Ireland, Norway, Italy and the United Kingdom. They also stressed
that it is not just about acquiring trash but it is also business. The government of
Sweden dumps big taxes to landfills so that it will become a pressure that landfills aren’t
solution to extracting waste. It is important that they needed to think of other solution
which is why they’ve been doing these kind of methods, profitable and efficient method
in extracting the country’s waste. Their long-term plan is that by the year 2020, they
envision a zero-waste country by recycling all the waste that they accumulate because
an idea that perfection in recycling is worth thinking for.

I am astound in the kind of waste management they have because if it is possible

among all of the countries in the world, imagine the comfort it will bring. Especially in the
third world countries who have a lot of overpopulated landfills. What we need to learn
from the video is discipline among ourselves and the need to help the environment on
how we could properly manage our waste without dumping it into landfills where they
stay for long period of time. Also, we need to think of sources of energy coming from the
things that we throw, like waste because recycling useless things into something that is
effective in a way that could power up a whole country is I think the best way to not just
help the world, but also ourselves. Because we live here.