Ecology
Sweden, a place where a quarter of a million homes are heated by incineration, has recently faced an unusual problem: the country has run out of garbage.
The landfills are empty and the garbage reserves have run out. While this state of affairs can only be envied, this Scandinavian country will now have to import garbage from neighboring countries, mainly Norway. Yes, the situation is so deplorable that the authorities are forced to transport 800,000 tons of garbage annually.
This Scandinavian country is so successful in recycling that only 4 percent of all waste in the country remains in landfills. The incineration program, which began in the 1940s, uses about 2 million tons of garbage annually, heats more than 800,000 homes and provides electricity to 250,000 homes. However, this amount of garbage is not enough.
According to the agreement, Norway pays Sweden to collect their garbage, and Sweden receives electricity and heat. At the same time, the ash left over from the incineration process, which has high levels of toxic substances, is returning to Norway, as incineration is more expensive for the country than exporting waste.
In the future, the country plans to import garbage from Italy, Romania, Bulgaria or the Baltic States, as these countries have a lot of landfills.