Sweden is so good at recycling that, for several years, it has imported rubbish from other countries to keep its recycling plants going. Less than 1 percent of Swedish household waste was sent to landfill last year or any year since 2011.

Sweden was one of the first countries to implement a heavy tax on fossil fuels in 1991 and now sources almost half its electricity from renewables.

“Swedish people are quite keen on being out in nature and they are aware of what we need do on nature and environmental issues. We worked on communications for a long time to make people aware not to throw things outdoors so that we can recycle and reuse,” says Anna-Carin Gripwall, director of communications for Avfall Sverige, the Swedish Waste Management’s recycling association.

Over time, Sweden has implemented a cohesive national recycling policy so that even though private companies undertake most of the business of importing and burning waste, the energy goes into a national heating network to heat homes through the freezing Swedish winter.

“That’s a key reason that we have this district network, so we can make use of the heating from the waste plants. In the southern part of Europe they don’t make use of the heating from the waste, it just goes out of the chimney. Here we use it as a substitute for fossil fuel,” Gripwall says.

Sweden’s heating network is not without its detractors. They argue that the country is dodging real recycling by sending waste to be incinerated.

Paper plant managers say that wood fiber can be used up to six times before it becomes dust. If Sweden burns paper before that point it is exhausting the potential for true recycling and replacing used paper with fresh raw material.

Swedish municipalities are individually investing in futuristic waste collection techniques, like automated vacuum systems in residential blocks, removing the need for collection transport, and underground container systems that free up road space and get rid of any smells.

这些年瑞典的环保工作做得太出色了，如今甚至要从其他国家进口垃圾，才能让本国的回收工厂继续运营下去。

去年，瑞典送入垃圾场的生活垃圾不足总量的1%，这种情况一直从2011年持续到现在。

瑞典是1991年第一批开始对化石燃料征收重税的国家之一。如今该国近一半的电力供应来自可再生能源。

瑞典垃圾管理回收协会Avfall Sverige的交流主任安娜•凯琳•格里普沃表示，“瑞典人很喜欢拥抱大自然，也知道采取哪些措施来应对环境问题。长期以来，我们努力和人们沟通，好让他们不在户外乱扔垃圾，这样有利于我们对垃圾的回收和再利用。”

在过去的时间里，瑞典推行了一项连贯的全国性垃圾回收政策，这样一来，尽管私企承担了大部分垃圾进口和焚烧业务，产生的能源还是能用于国家供暖系统，在瑞典寒冷的冬天里温暖千家万户。

格里普沃表示：“这是我们建立这一区域系统的主要原因，我们利用垃圾焚烧产生的热量。欧洲南部的国家不会利用垃圾焚烧来提供热量，而是任凭热量从烟囱冒出去，我们则用它来替代化石燃料。”

也有人对瑞典供暖系统提出质疑。他们认为瑞典焚烧垃圾并不是真正的垃圾回收利用。

造纸商表示，在烧毁前，木材纤维还可以循环利用六次。如果瑞典在还未充分循环利用前就烧毁纸张，它就是耗尽回收再利用的潜力，用新材料取代本可以重复使用的纸张。

瑞典各行政区都各自发展了先进的垃圾收集技术，比如居民区的自动真空系统免去了垃圾收运，还有地下管道系统，可以避免占用街道和散发出各种气味。

(Chinadaily.com.cn)

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    【诋毁者】dǐhuǐ zhě detractor someone who finds fault with everything you say

    【逃避】táobì dodge evade by cleverness or trickery