Only 4% of Swedish waste ends up in landfills – the rest is recycled. As a result, incinerators, which supply electricity to some 205,000 households, are underutilized. Sweden has found the parade: it imports waste! 800,000 tons per year. Which are, in passing, charged at the high price …

The method has proved its worth: Sweden recycles virtually all of its waste. Only 4% now end up in landfills. What makes Sweden, according to some, the cleanest country in the world … And what is not without posing related problems.

Because part of the country is supplied with electricity by its incinerators. The waste incineration program, launched in the 1940s, can handle some two million tons of garbage per year, providing electricity to 250,000 households.

Today, the situation has changed a little: the Swedes recycle enormously. As a result, incinerators run under sub-regime. And the production of electricity drops … The solution, according to the report of the Swedish waste management and recycling association: to import waste from neighboring countries. 800,000 tonnes per year are transported, mainly from Norway. And at a high price – Norway insists that incinerating itself would cost even more.

As for possible pollution, Sweden has foreseen everything: dioxins and heavy metals in ashes after incineration – which pollute the environment – are redirected to the country of origin. The loop is complete, and Sweden is the big winner.