The escalation of the climate crisis has drawn attention to waste, as waste going to landfills releases harmful greenhouse gases as it decomposes, contributing to global warming. However, since many countries ship their recyclable waste abroad, it can be difficult to know how much is actually recycled. Here we tell you which are the countries with the best recycling rates in the world:
5. Italy
Italy has a high recycling rate in general, but there is a large variation between municipalities. The city of Mantua in the north, which uses a system of colour-coded bags to sort rubbish, was named the most sustainable city in Italy after reaching recycling rates of 80% in 2019. However, in the south, it is much less managed, with recycling levels in some cities, such as Catania, barely exceeding 9%.
4. Luxembourg
Luxembourg has an obligation to be very good at recycling, as its citizens produce the fifth highest amount of waste of any EU country, at more than 600kg per person per year according to Eurostat. In its 2018 national waste and resource plan, the government outlined key targets around recycling. Among other things, it will increase packaging recycling rates to 70% by 2023, promote the use of reusable packaging, clamp down on littering and reduce food waste.
3. Sweden
Sweden has a bottle recycling scheme that began in 1984. Swedes can drop off their empty glass and plastic bottles and cans in reverse vending machines, which give out coupons in return. In fact, Sweden has now banned the sale of any bottles or cans that are not part of the plan. Returpack, the company that runs the machines, processed an impressive 2.05 billion bottles and cans last year. While Sweden's recycling rate for bottles and cans is high at 84.8%, its overall recycling rate is lower.
2. Denmark
Nearly half of Denmark's waste is recycled, and leftover waste is sent to incineration plants, where it is burned and used to heat homes. In October, a new incinerator was opened in Copenhagen. CopenHill is essentially a waste-to-energy plant that can convert 440,000 tons of waste into clean energy each year.
1. Scotland
Leading the way is Scotland, which recycles a hefty 53% of its waste as of 2017. In fact, it was recently reported that the amount of recycled household waste in Scotland had already exceeded the percentage sent to landfill. In Livingston, the UK's largest recycling plant, Brewster Bros, opened in August 2018. The plant primarily deals with construction site waste and can recycle over 400,000 tonnes of construction waste year.
