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© Kristina Jensen

Guess what? Sweden has run out of garbage. Yes, you read correctly. And not only have they run out of garbage but they are now being paid to import it from their European neighbours. All to fuel waste-to-energy plants which are popping up all over the world in the bid to avoid land-filling.

Read about it here:

http://www.pachamama.org/blog/models-of-sustainability-sweden-runs-out-of-garbage

One example can be found in the Swedish city of Kristianstad. Best known as the home of Absolut Vodka, this city vowed a decade ago to wean itself from fossil fuels. At this time, much of their heat was still being generated by fossil fuels. Now, it is a motley assortment of ingredients like potato peels, manure, used cooking oil, stale cookies and pig intestines that provide the energy to make heat.

A hulking 10-year-old plant on the outskirts of Kristianstad uses a biological process to transform the detritus into biogas, a form of methane. That gas is burned to create heat and electricity, or is refined as a fuel for cars. Once the city fathers got into the habit of harnessing power locally, they saw fuel everywhere: Kristianstad also burns gas emanating from an old landfill and sewage ponds, as well as wood waste from flooring factories and tree prunings.

Read about it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/11/science/earth/11fossil.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Tags: sweden, zero waste