Introduction
Due to political decisions, more actions are taken by society towards more sustainable waste management solutions. On the European level, directives on landfilling [1] and [2] of waste are implemented. As some 15% of the total municipal waste flow then has to be redirected from landfilling to other treatments, these institutional changes will most probably lead to major changes in Swedish waste management.
In Sweden, producers’ responsibility for packages and tires was introduced during the late 1990s [3]. A tax on all landfilled waste was imposed in January 2000. In 2002, a ban on landfilling of combustible waste was introduced, and three years later, 2005, organic waste will be included [4]. Today, the capacity to treat this waste does not exist in Sweden, but plans are made mainly for an extension of the incineration capacity. Today, 22 incinerators are in use in Sweden, and another 20 are being planned for [4]. In Sweden, the public opinion concerning incineration is relatively tolerant compared to other European countries. There is however a debate as to whether an increased incineration capacity was the aim of the imposed legislation and suggestions about an incineration tax has been raised [5].
As energy is recovered from waste for use in district heating, the Swedish waste management is also affected by the energy system. The Swedish energy system is bound to gradually change as nuclear power reactors are decommissioned in line with a parliamentary decision. Instead renewable energy sources are being introduced on to the energy market, of which waste partly could be seen as one. This means that, besides the regulations in waste management enforcing energy recovery from waste, the need for fuels for generating heat and power will also influence the planning of future waste management.
However, it is not only by incineration that waste can be used for energy recovery. Recycling of nutrients and materials reduces the need for energy intensive extraction and production of these resources, and the biogas obtained from anaerobic digestion can be used as vehicle fuel.