Austria comes in second, followed by South Korea and Wales. Switzerland, in fifth place, recycles almost half of its municipal waste. According to Eunomia, the environmental consultancy that compiled the report, these countries all have in common government policies that encourage recycling, such as making it easy for households to recycle waste; good funding for recycling; and financial incentives.
They also set clear performance targets and policy objectives for local governments. Some countries, such as Wales, have ambitious recycling targets. Recycling just over half of household waste may seem quite a low rate, but Eunomia says that reported recycling rates have been overstated.
For instance it has been reported that Sweden recycles almost all of its waste. Even Wales, which does well overall, includes significant amounts of rubble in its recycling rate, despite it not being consistently counted as a type of municipal waste across Europe. The report says that it is trying to compare municipal waste recycling rates on as equal a footing as possible, and calls for common definitions for municipal waste and recycling among countries.
A huge amount of recycling ends up being shipped to Asia. In its national waste and resources plan , the government outlined key targets around recycling. Pictured is a waste to energy plant in Brescia, northern Italy. Switzerland has long been ahead of the curve when it comes to recycling. The scheme was hugely effective, doubling the recycling rate in 20 years. Belgium recycled almost 10 million light bulbs last year, thanks to non-profit organisation Recupel , which collects e-scrap and lightbulbs to be turned into new electronics.
The company is also pioneering the use of AI for the sorting and processing of electronics, which would improve efficiency. It may be small, with a population of just over 2 million, but Slovenia is streets ahead of many larger countries when it comes to recycling.
The government has several initiatives — encouraging citizens to use reusable coffee cups, reduce food waste and use reusable diapers — to help people cut down on waste.
Pfaffenau , a waste-to-energy facility located six miles from the city centre, produces enough heat to warm 50, homes each year and enough electricity to power 25, homes. The megaprojects that changed countries forever. The Netherlands has a few key initiatives to thank for its high recycling rates.
In Amsterdam, the Wasted scheme rewards citizens that recycle plastic with tokens, which can be redeemed for discounts at local shops and businesses. Meanwhile, innovative companies are coming up with new ways to recycle. Dutch company EverUse recycles paper and turns it into insulation materials for housing. Tawian has an offbeat way of encouraging people to recycle — its garbage collection trucks blast classical music to remind people to bring their bins out.
Other initiatives that have helped include composting of raw food waste, which is turned into fertiliser, and fines for not disposing of waste correctly.
Since , Seoul residents have been legally required to dispose of food waste in biodegradable bags. Pictured are food waste bins in Seoul. These informal collectors visit households and pick up all types of recyclable waste, including electronics, which they sell on to dealers and recycling companies. The world's richest countries in may surprise you. In second place is Wales, recycling an impressive Germany leads the way with Like Germany, Austria operates a producer responsibility model.
The ARA was set up in and is responsible for the waste management of the businesses that pay into the firm. It is a big believer in the circular economy and also offers teaching materials, including comics and colouring books, to help educate young people about the importance of recycling. As of March , manufacturers in Austria were banned from importing and selling certain types of plastic bags — with retailers unable to issue these types of plastic bags in the country from June The only non-European nation in the top five, South Korea had a recycling rate of It has enjoyed success until now with a system in which privately-run companies collect the waste and sell it on for profit.
However, this is due to change soon after near-neighbour China altered its own environmental policy. In April , the economic superpower banned the import of plastic waste, and as the biggest buyer of Korean material, this was a problem. Korean businesses are no longer making as much money from the recycling scheme, resulting in staff lay-offs and plastic waste starting to pile up on its streets. These issues lasted for two weeks before the government agreed to provide financial help to the recycling companies.
South Korea has since implemented policies that include the banning of both coloured plastic bottles and PVC by It will also reduce and eventually phase-out disposable cups and plastic screws, getting rid of these products completely by It also said it will improve the domestic recycling plastic bottles by collecting them separately from other recyclables.
Overall, the South Korean government is looking to collect , tonnes of plastic bottles per year by the beginning of However, in an alternative approach , the recycling effort of the Zaballeen people in Cairo, Egypt , reflects even greater success than the aforementioned locations. As told in the documentary, Garbage Dreams , recyclers collect the urban waste and gather income from reusing, sorting, and reselling the articles they collect.
The system has no established official or contemporary recycling facilities or sanitation services, yet, 80 percent of everything that is gathered is recycled. Likewise setting the recycling bar high—though, comparatively, with an established industry— Brazil recently broke global records for its aluminum recycling. In , the country recycled In , that high percentage equated to , tons of aluminum beverage cans out of , tons that were available in the market.
Aluminum recycling requires less energy than producing new aluminum, so the cost-effective model created a natural incentive for the community. Next up: South Korea recycles 49 percent of tossed goods. The United Kingdom hits the 39 percent mark with that percentage going into recycling.
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