With growing
worries about the environment and climate change slowly devastating our planet,
efforts to recycle are becoming more and more important. Some countries have
ambitious recycling targets to combat this and are desperately trying to meet
them by 2020, 2030 and beyond. For example, the EU is looking to be recycling 65% of all waste by 2035.
Of all the
top recycling nations, Europe and East Asian states are well-represented on
many recycling reports. In this blog, we explore the four world champions of
recycling, leading the way and setting the example for the rest of us.
Germany
For many
years, Germany has remained top of lists and reports for municipal solid waste
(MSW) recycling rates. Germany has gained a reputation as a recycling world
champion and are number one for their efforts. Of the many schemes they have
initiated to target their annual waste, the Green Dot system is incredibly
effective. Essentially, the more packaging there is, the higher the fee paid
out by manufacturers and retailers. This has led to reduced paper, plastic,
glass and metal being used. Their bottle and can scheme also rewards those who
recycle their waste with small amounts of money and vouchers.
Taiwan
How did
Taiwan come out on top of the recycling rankings? As second in the world now
after Germany, Taiwan are exploring innovative ways to recycle their waste into
building materials. Primarily, they’ve mastered techniques to turn their
plastic bottles into Polli-Brick - a translucent, honeycomb-shaped polyethene
panel interlocked with others to build structures. Buildings that have utilised
this include a nine-story exhibition hall in Taiwan’s capital called the EcoARK
Pavilion.
Wales
Wales is, by
far, the top of all UK nations for recycling efforts. In fact, Wales is in the
top three in the world for MSW recycling rates. They are often singled out for
outperforming many larger European countries and the rest of the UK because
“political leadership and investment is making Wales a global leader” (Eunomia with Resource Media, 2017).
The other UK nations have some catching up to do, however.
Sweden
Sweden
boasts a culture of caring for their environment. With teenage activists such
as Greta Thunberg paving the way by trying to hold nations accountable, it’s no
wonder Sweden is up there as one of the leaders of recycling. Sweden was one of
the first countries to implement a heavy tax on fossil fuels in 1991 and now
sources almost half its electricity from renewables. In 2016, the news stated that Sweden
had run out of rubbish to recycle so other nations were sending their waste to
them instead. Sweden isn’t quite top of the recycling reports yet though due to
the fact they include energy recovered from waste incineration as a form of
recycling, which doesn’t strictly count towards official recycling reports.
When it
comes to being environmentally friendly, WM Thompson & Son
work with the
environment, not against it. With an on-site recycling plant and our recycled
aggregate products, we work to get Scotland and the UK’s recycling rate higher
every day. For more information, visit
our website
today.
