Bornholm is a Danish island in the southern part of the Baltic Sea. At only 588 square kilometers, the island is home to about 40, 000 people and welcomes around 600, 000 visitors each year. The island is known for its sunny weather, round churches and rocky sea cliffs. But soon it hopes to make history for its lack of trash (垃圾).
Bornholm's only waste incineration (焚烧) plant is on its last legs, so instead of replacing it, the island has come up with another plan. "In 2032 there'll be no more waste on Bornholm, " the island's waste management company announced. "All unwanted items are resources that can be recycled to the benefit of the entire community. "
The government doesn't yet know all the specifics of how the plan will work, but officials have laid out a basic outline. For example, they fancy citizens sorting waste into easily recyclable items such as metal, plastic, glass, paper and cardboard, and then plan to add new items such as fishing nets, insulation materials and more plastics to the recycling system. Organic waste, as well as garden and park waste, will be changed into energy, and the nutrient-rich waste from energy recovery will be used as fertilizer in fields, gardens and parks on the island.
Residents will be encouraged to make use of the sharing economy, lending and borrowing goods and services. They'll reuse everything from furniture to children's clothing, and businesses will repair a large number of items from bicycles to kitchen appliances. And elementary school students will be educated as "resource heroes" with practical, hands-on lessons about waste, resources, the environment and nature.
"Yet, in the waste area we were falling behind, so it was important for us to move ahead, " Anne Thomas, the deputy mayor of Bornholm, tells National Geographic.
