Sweden's program of producing energy from rubbish is so successful, but recently its success has also produced a surprising problem: There is simply not enough rubbish in this country. It has been reported that only 4% of their rubbish goes into landfills. 96% is recycled or recently being reused as fuel (燃料) in their waste-to-energy factories that are able to deal with up to 2 million tons of rubbish every year. And this situation has made Sweden face the serious and special problem mentioned above.
Sweden has recently begun buying much waste every year from other countries, such as Norway, Bulgaria, Romania and Italy. These countries depend heavily on landfills. In the United States, where 250 million tons of rubbish was produced in 2010 alone, only about 34% was recycled. As a result, more than half of their waste ends up in landfills.
Sweden is now paid by Norway to take its waste away. Sweden not only gets money from other countries but also changes the waste into energy in Sweden, which provides electricity and heating for so many homes. It's a win-win situation. Clever!
Sweden is leading the way in waste management, but it is one of few. Most countries' technology in dealing with waste needs improving. We live in a world that is full of rubbish like plastic bags and beer bottles. Sweden's waste management offers a look into the future where countries can make money from their rubbish and not just put it in the ocean or put it in landfills.
