BBC informs in the Swedish city of Eskilstuna people follow a unique way to process household waste. It met the EU’s 2020 recycling target of 50 % early. Almost all residents of the city have signed up to a seven bag recycling scheme at home, which uses a color-code system. In the system materials are sorted according to colors.  You follow this code:

Carton- yellow

Plastic-red

Textiles-pink

Newspapers-blue

Food-green

Metal-brown

Articles that can’t be recycled like used tissues and nappies go in a white bag and are incinerated generate electricity.

This is how the system works: the bags arrive at the recycling plant all mixed up but thanks to their bright colors, scanners can separate them efficiently. The bags are sorted into metal containers. The food waste in green bags is processed on site to make biogas which powers the city’s buses. The Materials inside the other sorted bags are compacted ready for recycling. The plastic bags themselves also get recycled.

This system only requires a single rubbish collection every fortnight which cuts traffic congestion and pollution.  

www.ecostimule.com