Prague reveals design plans for the Vltava Philharmonic Hall
The Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group won the international architectural competition
Still the country remains global leader in recycling, having nearly reached ‘zero waste’ levels
It may come as a surprise that Sweden, the world recycling champion with nearly achieved ‘zero waste’ levels, hardly recycles any plastic from scrapped cars.
But this is exactly what Radio Sweden has found. This setback can be attributed to the difficulty in finding buyers for the plastic components. Mattias Bergman, CEO of the car industry's trade organisation Car Sweden, recently told the radio that the process is simply not profitable as there is no market for plastics from disused cars.
Instead, the plastic is sold along with other combustible material to be burnt up at incineration plants. That's seen as more profitable but it also has an environmental impact despite innovations in the process.
Under Sweden’s waste-to-energy programme, burning waste supplies heat to more than one million homes in the country. The smoke from waste burnt at incineration plants is filtered through dry filters and water. The remaining ashes are sifted through to extract metals that are recycled again, and the residue is used in road construction. In the end, just one percent of the ‘fuel’ is left and then it is disposed off in dumps.
But since half of all household waste in Sweden is burnt to produce energy, the process cannot be considered entirely friendly to the environment.
There may be a viable alternative to burning plastic from scrapped cars for heating, however. The Belgian car recycling organisation Febelauto, contacted by Radio Sweden, said that 60 percent of plastic in scrapped cars in Belgium is reused to make new products.
Sweden has no match when it comes to recycling. Thanks to advanced collection techniques and the involvement of its environmentally sensitive population, the country recycles 99 percent of all locally-produced waste, with the remaining one percent going to landfills. But with ‘zero waste’ levels almost reached Sweden now has to import rubbish from other European countries.
The REPowerEU 200 billion-euro plan calls for a gradual reduction of Russian fuel imports
The summer ticket will be valid on local and regional trains, buses, as well as on the U-Bahn and S-Bahn
The Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group won the international architectural competition
The city also added a new bathing area
The new Walking and Cycling Index shows that an overwhelming majority want to live in 20-minute neighbourhoods
Explore the underbelly of the city’s most iconic site in the moonlit hours
The REPowerEU 200 billion-euro plan calls for a gradual reduction of Russian fuel imports
Close engagement initiatives with the business sector and residents were key to spreading the idea across the board
The new Walking and Cycling Index shows that an overwhelming majority want to live in 20-minute neighbourhoods
The city also added a new bathing area
The installation of the sensors is part of its “Smart Museum” project
Authorities want to do away with the passive status of nature in the city
These will be spread across 11 EU countries and will serve to support the EU Missions
The European Commission has accepted to develop the idea
An interview about AYR, one of the 2021 New European Bauhaus Prize winners
An interview with Nigel Jollands and Sue Goeransson from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
An interview with the President of the City of Athens Reception & Solidarity Centre
A talk with the Mayor of Malmö on the occasion of the city’s UN Resilience Hub status