Packaging, food waste and textile waste – Targets for the Swedish Waste Management System
The EU Commission has submitted proposals for revising the waste directive, including proposals for producer responsibility for textiles and targets for reduced amounts of food waste. Sweden is implementing new collection systems for packaging, food waste and textiles with the aim of reducing the amounts of waste and increasing recycling and material recovery.
Curbside collection of packaging
Sweden launched at beginning of this year a new ordinance with the purpose to increase the recycling of packaging, and to reduce the amount of packaging and packaging waste generated.
The Packaging Collection Service (FTI) – a non-profitable organization own by four companies related to material recycling in Sweden – was responsible for collecting all the packaging (plastic, paper, metal, and glass) from households and businesses generated all over the country. However, from 1 January 2024, this responsibility was transferred to municipal authorities that are obligated to provide curbside collection for the four fractions from 2027. From 31 December 2024 FTI ceased to exist and a new producer responsibility organization, Trade Association Packaging Producer Responsibility (Näringslivets Producentansvar), took over the collection from the municipalities collection points to the different material producers recycling sites from 1 Januari 2024.
From 1 January 2027, the curbside collection of packaging will be expanded and will then also apply to businesses that are co-located with households and that have registered that they want municipal collection. Municipalities must also organize the collection of bulky packaging at easily accessible collection points.
Separate collection of food waste
In addition to curbside collection, from 1 January 2024, there is also a requirement for sorting and separate collection of food waste from households and businesses. The requirements are linked to the introduction of Article 22 of the Waste Directive (2008/98/EC) on bio-waste and require EU Member States to ensure that bio-waste is either separated and recycled at source or collected separately and not mixed with other types of waste.
From 1 January 2024 it is also mandatory to separate the packaging that contains food waste from its content. The obligation applies to both households and businesses. This can be complied either by separating the packaging the contents at the place where the waste is generated or by leaving it to a treatment facility.
Separate collection of textile waste
According to the EU’s new Waste Directive, separate collection of textile waste must be in place by 1 January 2025.
The Swedish government has developed proposals for national requirements for the separate collection of textile waste. According to this proposal, the municipalities must collect the textile waste that is municipal waste, but how the collection is to be done has not been stated in this proposal. There is also no requirement for curbside collection of textiles.
It is unclear yet whether textile waste from textile production should also be covered by the national requirements. Avfall Sverige, the Swedish Waste Management Association, believes that it may be a challenge to find sufficient capacity for recycling the collected textile waste, and remarks the need of including the whole value chain.
