Home / Environment / Sweden Turns Imported Waste into 20 TWh of Energy
Sweden Turns Imported Waste into 20 TWh of Energy
15 Sep
Summary
- Sweden processed 2.5 million tonnes of European waste in 2024.
- Imported waste generated nearly 20 TWh of energy for heating and electricity.
- Residues from incineration include slag, ash, and flue gas treatment materials.
In 2024, Sweden processed 2.5 million tonnes of sorted waste imported from other European countries, demonstrating a significant capacity for waste-to-energy conversion. Swedish plants have more capacity than domestic waste generation, enabling them to accept and process foreign waste.
This imported material, amounting to 1.2 million tonnes of municipal waste, contributed to the total 6.6 million tonnes of waste handled by Swedish energy recovery plants. These facilities generated approximately 20 terawatt-hours of energy, with 17.6 TWh used for heating and 2.4 TWh for electricity.
The Avfall Sverige report highlights that accepting foreign waste helps other nations manage their waste streams, supporting Europe's broader shift away from landfilling. Energy recovery is considered a hygienic treatment method for waste unsuitable for other processes.
Incineration processes, however, produce residues like slag and ash. In 2024, slag and bottom ash totalled 914,820 tonnes, with flue gas treatment residues reaching 299,650 tonnes. Efforts are underway to halve fossil emissions from energy recovery by 2030.
