Biological recycling in Sweden Britta Moutakis
Contents Source: Swedish Board of Agriculture
Avfall Sverige Avfall Sverige is the Swedish waste management and recycling association. 400 members (mostly municipalities, municipal associations) Represent 99,9% of Sweden
Avfall Sverige Primary task: represent and develop our members, creating networks, providing information and influencing decision-makers Answer questions, network, fund research, arrange courses and seminars Lobbying in Sweden and Europe (MWE, ISWA, Cewep, ECN) Office in Malmö, 17 employees
Swedish environmental goals Generation goal Environmental quality objectives Milestone targets
One of the milestone targets for waste Measures are to be implemented to increase resource efficiency in the food supply chain by ensuring that at least 50 percent of the food waste from households, catering facilities, shops and restaurants is separated and treated biologically so that plant nutrients are utilized, and where at least 40 percent is treated to recover the energy no later than 2018
FIGURE 1. VOLUMES OF FOOD WASTE GENERATED IN SWEDEN 2012 TOTAL SWEDEN 2012 1,211,000 tonnes 127 kg/person Total food waste volume Of which unnecessary AGRI- CULTURE Unknown volume FISHING Unknown volume FOOD INDUSTRY 171,000 tonnes 18 kg/person TRADE 70,000 tonnes 7 kg/person Of which unnecessary 63,000 tonnes 7 kg/person RESTAURANTS 142,000 tonnes 15 kg/person Of which unnecessary 88,000 tonnes 9 kg/person CATERERS 58,000 tonnes 6 kg/person Of which unnecessary 30,000 tonnes 3 kg/person HOUSEHOLDS 771,000 tonnes 81 kg/person Of which unnecessary 270,000 tonnes 28 kg/person PRIMARY PRODUCTION MANUFACTURER DISTRIBUTOR CONSUMER Source: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
Milestone target: Swedish EPA follow-up Generated food waste (households, caterers, supermarkets, restaurants) 100% 25% source-separation (milestone target 50%) Biological treatment 75% Anaerobic digestion 18% (milestone target 40%) Composting 7% (milestone target 10%) Source: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, 2012
Milstone target biological recycling Halfway to achieving the goal!
Collection of source-separated food waste 60% of Sweden s 290 municipalities collect source-separated food waste Optional or mandatory Collect from Block of flats Villas Businesses
Collection systems for villas main systems Main systems used in all of / majority of the municipality Additional systems Most common collection system: separate bin Used in 70% of Sweden s municipalities (2013)
Collection systems for villas main systems Multi-fraction bin Used in 12% of Sweden s municipalities Two bins with room for several fractions
Collection systems for villas main systems Optical sorting Used in 8% of the municipalities Food waste put in coloured waste bags, thrown in the usual bin
Collection systems additional systems Underground containers Vacuum systems Garbage disposal units (waste transported to sewage plants)
Sorting equipment Three groups of waste bags used: Paper bags (most common) Plastic bags Bioplastic bags The choice of bag depends on the pre-treatment method
Treated volumes of household waste
Biological treatment of household food waste (tonnes) 240 000 220 000 200 000 180 000 160 000 140 000 120 000 100 000 80 000 Joint anaerobic digestion plants Public composting plants Anaerobic digestion at sewage plants Home composted 60 000 40 000 2010 2011 2012 2013
Products from anaerobic digestion Digestate Fertiliser in agroculture Biogas Vehicle fuel, heat or electricity
Digestate - 2013: 939 800 tonnes of digestate produced - 99% percent used in agriculture as fertiliser!
Swedish certification system for digestate, SPCR 120 Product certification system for compost or digistate 15 years old, owned by Avfall Sverige Positive list for substrates 90% of Swedish digestate certified
Production of biogas in Sweden 2013 1,69 TWh biogas 2013 Biogas produc-on 5% 7% 14% 40% Sewage plants Joint anaerobic diges?on plants Farm- based plants 34% Industrial plants Landfills Source: Swedish Energy Agency
Use of biogas in Sweden 2013 11% 2% Use of biogas 53% 31% 3% Heat Electricity Upgrading Flaring No data Source: Swedish Energy Agency
The initiative Frivilligt åtagande Voluntary Initiative Objective: minimise methane emissions from biogas plants Stop leakage Began in 2007 A responsible biogas industry!
Trends and the future: legislation Swedish waste prevention programme Focus areas: textiles, electronics, construction and demolition, food Reduce unnecessary and avoidable food waste with 20% until 2020. 2012 official report proposal: mandatory sourceseparation of food waste.
Trends and the future: collection More optical sorting New housing areas Use different collection systems (vacuum systems, garbage disposal unit) Dense (difficult to use ordinary garbage trucks) Sorting equipment Plastic bags: more renewable plastic Paper bags: sealable Bioplastic bags: more brittle
Trends and the future: treatment Dry anaerobic digestion of food waste Dry anaerobic digestion of reject from joint anaerobic digestion plants remaining houshold waste after sorting Contents of reject: how much food waste is left? Slurry quality Working environment (micro-organisms) Dry anaerobic diges?on plant in Mörrum, the only one in Sweden.
Contact Britta Moutakis Avfall Sverige Prostgatan 2, 211 25 Malmö, Sweden + 46 40 35 66 14 + 46 703 58 66 14 britta.moutakis@avfallsverige.se www.avfallsverige.se twitter.com/avfallsverige www.facebook.com/sveriges.storsta.miljororelse