Private companies, the public sector and consumers in the Nordics have been investing heavily sustainable waste management. Landfills are no longer being built, and waste is no longer being thrown out as waste but is beginning to be collected as a valuable raw material.
Innovations by private companies and research bodies are driving these innovations forward while consumers and companies are being guided by regulation to sort waste to allow for efficient recycling.
Your correspondent lives 40 kilometres from Helsinki in a small village. All of our household waste is sorted by us into different bins at home – food and biodegradable waste, metal, glass, plastic, paper, cardboard, fabrics, electric batteries, and “other waste” of which there is very little.
The food and biodegradable waste go into our insulated composting bin in the garden and comes out 6 months later as compost. The metal, glass, plastic, paper, cardboard and fabrics go to big collection bins outside our supermarket, along with batteries and other old electronic stuff inside the supermarket. All the food and drink bottles, glass, metal, and plastic, are collected in a machine where we get a deposit refund of a few euros. Any building waste gets put in the back of the car or in the trailer to be taken to a sorting and recycling plant for segregation into one of 12 huge sorting bins. We pay a nominal fee for problem materials, but waste wood, metals, and plastics are normally free. The final waste that is not any of the above goes into our 200-litre plastic bin that also sits outside the house and that is collected once a month by the municipality for a small fee! The amount that collects in the bin over the month hardly ever has fills the bin!
It is a fact that the Nordics have devoted time and energy to recycling innovations that is supported by good regulation and active companies – waste is not waste but a valuable raw material that can be used again and again by the companies below. Then list is far from complete but gives a good ida of what is happening.
Waste-to-Energy (WTE)
Sweden has perfected waste-to-energy technology, where non-recyclable waste is converted into heat and electricity – here a some examples:
- Fortum Recycling and Waste operates WTE plants across Sweden and Finland, turning waste into a valuable resource. Website: www.fortum.com
- Sysav is a Swedish company serving southern Sweden, producing district heating from waste. Website: www.sysav.se
Deposit-Refund Systems (DRS)
Deposit-refund systems for beverage containers have achieved recycling rates over 90% in Finland and Norway.
- Infinitum AS: Norway’s leading DRS operator, handling millions of bottles and cans annually Website: www.infinitum.no
- Palpa: Finland’s key DRS operator, ensuring efficient recycling of beverage containers. Website: www.palpa.fi
Textile Recycling
Innovative textile recycling technologies are advancing circular fashion in Sweden and Finland.
- Renewcell: A Swedish company that chemically recycles textiles into new raw materials like Circulose®. Website: www.renewcell.com
- Rester: A Finnish company that has successfully developed textile recycling technology – see article in forumNordic here.
Biogas Production
Organic waste is converted into biogas and biofertilizer for clean energy and agriculture.
- Biokraft AS: Norway’s largest biogas producer, powering public transport and other sectors. Website: www.biokraft.no
- Gasum: A Finnish company specializing in biogas and renewable energy solutions.
Smart Waste Management
Smart waste bins and data-driven systems improve collection efficiency in Finland.
- Enevo: Provides IoT-enabled waste sensors for smart bin monitoring and route optimization. Website: www.enevo.com
Sharing and Reuse Platforms
Digital platforms foster circular consumption across the Nordics.
- Too Good To Go: A Danish app connecting consumers with surplus food to reduce waste. Website: www.toogoodtogo.com
- RePack: Finnish service offering reusable packaging solutions for e-commerce.
Website: www.originalrepack.com
Photo: Too Good To Go
