Hi everyone!
Living in Sweden for many years now and experiencing the environmental thinking and actions of the country makes me so proud and happy. I am not an expert in environmental topics, but I do have a genuine interest in discussing and opening my mind towards a more sustainable way of living.
Sweden is mastering recycling issues
When I first moved to Sweden, I had to learn how to recycle and get used to it. Coming from Greece means that all waste was going to one general bag. The advantages of recycling are very eminent to me now and to be honest when I go back to Greece or to other countries with no strong system of recycling it makes me feel guilty for not separating the waste. In fact, as Sweden is a very clean country traveling makes me notice things that before were not catching my attention, like rubbish everywhere. Last summer, while in Greece, I was in shock to see trash next to sea resorts and people ignoring it as it is part of their everyday reality. Especially, in the small city, I am coming from recycling is just a theory.
Some facts about recycling in Sweden are (source):
- More than 99% of all household waste is recycled in one way or another.
- Recycling stations are as a rule no more than 300 meters away from any residential area.
- Residents of Sweden separate all recyclable waste in their homes and deposit it in special containers in their block of flats or drop it off at a recycling station.
- Materials to be recycled are newspapers, plastic, metal, glass, electric appliances, light bulbs, batteries, and food waste.
- 50% of the household waste is burnt to produce energy at incineration plants.
- Sweden even imports 700,000 tons of waste from other countries.
All the best,
Maria
*** The picture used in this blog post is taken from Google.
