Sweden According to Jensen et al. (2011) the plastic packaging waste in mixed household waste (often called residual waste in Sweden) together with plastic packaging in the food waste fraction (from households) is estimated to 152,500 tonnes.20 The total amount of source-sorted plastic packaging waste counted to 45,500 tonnes (both from households and from businesses). According to Dahlén et al. (2013) 60–90 percent of the plastic packaging put on the market in Sweden is not subject to recycling. Åland Apart from the potential for rigid plastic packaging waste there is a potential in flexible plastic packaging waste that today ends up in combustible waste fractions. The possibility to have another compartment for flexible plastic waste in the waste bins is one option. Another option is to sort out both rigid and flexible plastic waste together (Ålands Renhållning, 2013). This is confirmed in the waste management plan of Åland where it is stated that the general public sometimes has difficulties with dividing flexible plastics from rigid plastics in a sufficient way. In the long-term it would benefit the recycling of plastics to mix the two fractions together (Ålands landskapsregering, 2010). In Åland, 3 percent of the combustible waste fraction in containers with eight compartments consists of rigid plastic packaging waste, and 11 percent in containers with one-or two compartments (Mise, 2013). The generated amount of combustible waste from households with eight compartments and households with one or two compartments is not known, but the total amount of generated household waste in Åland was 10,700 tonnes in 2012 (ÅSUB, 2013). The amount of generated combustible household waste is unknown, but potential for increased recycling of rigid plastic packaging waste in Åland from combustible household waste is likely to have little effect on the total potential for plastic packaging waste in mixed MSW fractions in the Nordics.
10.9.2 Non-packaging small plastic waste In Iceland, data on plastic waste other than packaging waste is not being collected for the time being. According to Sorpa’s sample study in November 2012 plastic waste other than packaging makes up some
────────────────────────── 20
Corrected for non-plastics by factor 0.56. (Jensen et al., (2011).
Collection & recycling of plastic waste
101