In Sweden it is a common practice to turn garbage into an energy source. Turning something that can’t be used into something to provide electricity is an amazing thing. This innovative way of creating energy is the way to go; getting rid of garbage, helping the environment and providing a much needed resource. It’s no secret that across the planet landfills are filling up with trash that will not break down, meaning it’s just going to sit there for years and pollute the planet. If there are ways to get rid of this problem and introduce green waste management systems then everyone should be working to try and fix it. No one wants the planet drowning in its own waste!
What does Renewable Waste Mean?
Household waste can be recycled to create energy and that includes food that isn’t wanted. Food that has been thrown out is collected to be converted into gas. It is composted down to biogas which is a technology that uses microbes to eat waste and produce methane. Since Sweden wants to replace fossil fuels with biogas by 2030 they have a huge state in this technology. Biogas is just one way to start breaking down garbage and turning it into energy, there are many types of composting, recycling, and repurposing that can be done with the trash produced in the average household. Sweden has put into place a waste management system that has allowed them to greatly decrease the amount of waste in landfills and across their country. A green waste management system allows trash to be collected from home and that which cannot be recycled into energy is incinerated. The steam from this burning process produces the energy needed to run nearby homes. Sweden is effectively giving people power by burning trash. That which they do not burn is recycled and repurposed so it doesn’t sit in a landfill and harm the environment. Sweden actually imports waste from other countries because they are doing such a good job getting rid of their own.
With over thirty-two plants turning trash into usable energy, Sweden is the leader in a zero waste management revolution. The people of Sweden help the process by separating their garbage. They separate plastic, metal, newspaper, batteries, and much more to be reused or turned into compost. It seems to be a conscious effort in Sweden for people to contribute to the reduction of waste in their country. Other countries could learn a lot about cutting back on their rubbish and finding ways to re-purpose and reuse it for good. Countries like America, for example, have over one hundred million tons of trash sitting in landfills. While there has been talk in the past about mandatory recycling, nothing has really been done to move in that direction. With that much trash just sitting around, other countries could take notes from Sweden and start creating some energy from all that garbage and actively participate in improving the environment.