In-depth analysis of your garbage bag
It has long been known that plastic accounts for the largest share of carbon dioxide emissions when household waste is incinerated. But now, a project funded by Avfall Sverige, Climate-leading Process Industry, and Renova has gone further and analyzed the climate impact of different waste fractions. The results could provide better decision-making support for the design of future household waste collection systems.
Results from the project In-depth analysis of plastic in household residual waste show, among other things, that hard and soft plastic packaging, covered by producer responsibility, account for 35–43 percent of fossil carbon dioxide emissions from the incineration of household residual waste. Diapers, not covered by producer responsibility, account for between 6–9 percent of emissions, and textiles, including about a third that are reusable clothes, account for 3–8 percent. But for project leader Mar Edo, there was another result that stood out.
"We were a bit surprised to find that up to 25 percent of the total CO2 emissions generated by the incineration of paper packaging have a fossil origin, indicating the plastic films used as liquid barriers in some paper packaging. For these types of packaging, the proportion of plastic, which is primarily of fossil origin today, varies between 8–21 percent depending on factors such as the shelf life and storage time of the food in the packaging," says Mar Edo, project leader at RISE.
Now Mar Edo and the study's financiers hope that the results of the study will help municipalities, waste and recycling industries, politicians, and manufacturers to manage household residual waste in a more resource-efficient manner and provide guidance on which waste fractions should be prioritized in actions such as collection and post-sorting.
"There is definitely room for improvement, and the more we sort, the more we can recycle. But it's not just about sorting more or better; we also need to prevent waste through changes in product design, consumption habits, and the use of bio-based materials instead of fossil ones," says Jon Nilsson-Djerf, advisor to Avfall Sverige.
Read the final report ot the project
Climate-leading Process Industry – In-depth analysis of plastic in household residual waste
Avfall Sverige – Fördjupad analys av plast i hushållens restavfall
Contact
Mar Edo Giménez
Projektledare, RISE
mar.edo@ri.se
070-571 69 95
Jon Nilsson-Djerf
Advisor Avfall Sverige
jon.nilsson-djerf@avfallsverige.se
070-526 35 27
In-depth analysis of plastic in household residual waste and its potential for increased material recycling and reduced climate impact