Sweden has always been ahead of its neighbors when it comes to
reducing its environmental impact. To make power, the country
does something unique: it turns trash into power on a national
scale using high-power incinerators. At first glance, it solves two
problems: getting rid of trash before it piles up and generating
electricity without burning dirty fossil fuels. But now Sweden is
hitting a wall. According to the country's Environmental Protection
Agency, it needs more trash to feet Sweden's energy habit, and it's
begun importing trash—just over 881,000 tons—from nearby Norway
to do it. It's an innovative idea that seems to work for everyone.
Sweden powers most of its homes and business with a waste product,
and gets paid to do so. Norway gets rid of trash it doesn't have space
to bury more cheaply than exporting trash elsewhere (it gets the ashes
back after incineration, but those take up much less space). And no
one has to dig or drill for energy.
