End ofl life scenarios in Sweden

Product LCA & EPD
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1

Hi,

Do you have any advice where I could find typical end of life scenarios for packaging materials (LDPE) and plastic insulation products in Sweden?

2

Hi Elisa,

The 2022 report from Avfall Sverige, as recommended by our EPD team and corroborated by our research, appears to be a good source for typical end-of-life scenarios in Sweden.

Short AI summary below:

Based on the “Swedish Waste Management 2022” document provided, here are the rates for the different end-of-life processes for household waste in Sweden for the year 2022:

  • Material Recycling: 24 percent (1,136,910 tonnes) - This is explicitly stated on page 22. This figure refers to the amount of collected household waste that underwent material recycling.
  • Recycling of Construction Material: 3.4 percent (160,430 tonnes) - Mentioned on page 8 and included in the total treated volume. While distinct, it’s a form of material recycling.
  • Biological Treatment: 15.5 percent (729,310 tonnes) - Stated on page 8. This includes anaerobic digestion and composting of food and garden waste.
  • Energy Recovery: 55.4 percent (2,616,450 tonnes) - Mentioned on page 8. This refers to the incineration of waste to produce heat and electricity.
  • Landfill: 1.6 percent (76,390 tonnes) - Stated on page 8. This is the amount of household waste that was disposed of in landfills.

Note: These percentages are based on the total volume of household waste treated (4,719,490 tonnes as shown on page 8). The diagram on page 21 provides a slightly different perspective by showing the flow of different waste streams and includes losses to energy recovery and landfill from other processes. However, the percentages above represent the primary end-of-life treatment methods for the total collected household waste in 2022 according to the data presented on page 8.

Additionally, specifically for plastic packaging:

Eurostat data from 2021 indicates that Sweden recycled 23.8% of its plastic packaging waste. This figure includes all types of plastic packaging, so the specific rate for LDPE might be different.

Hope this helps a bit!

3

Hi,

Thank you very much! This Eurostat data was the one I was using, but I was scpetical as the recycling and recovery rates are so much worse than in Finland. But maybe I have to believe those :slight_smile:

4

Hi Elisa,

One of my colleagues mentioned that the percentages in the following source could also be used: Turning Waste To Energy: Sweden’s Recycling Revolution

  • 1% landfill, 52% incineration, 47% recycling

Due to the lack of a dedicated source for polyethylene (PE) waste data, alternative references can be logically employed when specific information is scarce.

Currently, reliable and up-to-date recycling data for all product types is limited. However, it is anticipated that this type of data will become more readily available in the future.

5

Hi, thank you so much! This was excellent information :slight_smile:

6

Hi Elisa,

The European Environment Agency has just published some new data on municipal and waste management, including packaging waste.

There are profiles for every EU country, maybe this can be of some use for you too for the future.

1 Like
7

Hi Steven,

Thank you so much! :slight_smile: