Sweden Runs Out of Garbage

[Shawnster]

Due to Sweden’s innovative waste-to-energy program and highly efficient recycling habits, the Scandinavian nation faces an interesting dilemma. They have run out of trash.

Sweden’s waste management and recycling programs are second to none as only four percent of the nation’s waste ends up in landfills. By contrast, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, over half of the waste produced by U.S. households ends up in landfills.

Because the Swedish manage waste so effectively and then use what remains to partly power their country, they are now living an environmentalist’s dream; a shortage of garbage.

In order to continue fueling the waste-to-energy factories that provide electricity to a quarter of a million homes and 20 percent of the entire country’s district heating, Sweden is now importing trash from the landfills of other European countries. In fact, those countries are paying Sweden to do so.

 - See more at:
http://www.pachamama.org/blog/models-of-sustainability-sweden-runs-out-of-garbage#sthash.5Khrc6RF.n8KNHYeG.dpuf

[Sheila]

Further on garbage - who has seen the following video on recycling plastic and ending up with oil !!   Fantastic idea.   I note the Japanese are sending the machines to various third world countries, so they must've been around for a little while.   

 

http://www.youtube.com/embed/qGGabrorRS8?rel=0

[LoneWanderer]

Hmm... Then they need to come on the streets and make us unemployed people pick up all the trash with no pay (the Well-Proven Scandinavian Model as How to Make People Feel Completely Useless) to get more fuel.

But yeah, in many towns the fleet of city buses do run on biofuel. Though I've yet to see a motto like "You keep on poopin' and we'll keep on moving!" on the buses