Waste-to-Energy Solutions in Uppsala, Sweden

Abstract

Sweden has a long history of system solutions and policymaking within sustainability, beginning from the first ban on emissions of untreated sewage in 1956. One example of an area where Sweden has long experience is sustainable waste management. The Swedish waste management systems today consist of materials recycling, bioprocessing of organic waste to biogas and compost and energy recovery. Presently, only 0.7% of the household waste ends up in landfills. This paper presents the waste management in Uppsala and the Uppsala innovation system. Recovered energy from the incineration process is used for district heating, district cooling and electricity, while the produced biogas from organic waste is used as fuel for city buses. Uppsala, the fourth largest city in Sweden, with a population of almost 220.000 inhabitants in the municipality is a leader in sustainable development and a centre for innovation with its two leading universities. An excellent innovation system with one of the worlds’ top-ranked incubators is supporting the emergence of novel solutions with the latest technology in addition to the well-established systems.