Questions and answers

Why should I sort packaging and newspapers?

Recycling packaging and newspapers is good for the environment. It saves both energy and materials. If we don’t recycle, we just continue to use resources and then just throw everything away in the rubbish bin, and nothing gets sorted.

What happens to all the packaging that gets collected?

We recycle everything that can be recycled. The packaging and newspapers that are dropped off at the recycling stations are sent to get sorted for recycling. The same can be said for all the recycling that’s collected from the 1.8 million households where recycling is available on-site. What's not recyclable is instead used for energy recovery.

Why should uncoloured and coloured glass be sorted separately? I heard it all just ends up getting mixed together anyway.

All sorted glass is kept separate, even after the bottles are emptied. If you see coloured and uncoloured glass being dumped into the same bin lorry, there will be two different compartments, so that the glass can be kept separate. The demand from the glass industry for uncoloured recycled glass is very high, or in other words there’s a market for keeping uncoloured glass and coloured glass separate.

What is the difference between ÅVS and ÅVC?

ÅVS stands for a recycling station [återvinningsstation] where packaging and newspapers are recycled. ÅVC is a staffed recycling centre [återvinningscentral] where bulky rubbish, electrical waste, refrigerators and freezers are left.

What happens to rubbish that gets thrown out in nature?

Humans, animals and the environment can all be negatively affected if packaging ends up in nature. A lot of materials also take a very long time to break down:
• Glass - 1 million years
• Plastic - 450 years (and still leaves behind harmful microplastics)
• Aluminium 200-500 years
• Paper – 6 months

Thank you for recycling!