The Skakagrall

In Sweden every block of flats has a mini recycling heaven in its basement. The "rubbish room" has massive containers for unsorted, general waste, but also a plethora of other categories - big wheelie-bins for: 1. hard plastic, 2. metal, 3. compost (including meat, so it must be a high temperature composter), 4. newspapers, 5. paper/cardboard packaging, 6. coloured glass, 7. clear glass. In addition there are three other small containers: 1. batteries, 2. normal light bulbs, 3. low-energy light bulbs. If you have bullky, very heavy or electrical items you are meant to take them to a collection point or phone (and pay) to have them collected; but because people don't want the inconvenience/cost they generally just stack this neatly and the property owners clear it once a month.

I have never seen a Swedish apartment block without this amazing facility (plus a brilliant communal laundry/drying facility), so I assume it must be a statutory requirement. I don't know the situation in terraced or villa housing types.

Competing private firms have contracts to collect different types of refuse.

All relevant shops must collect (and recycle) old electrical items and batteries.

I mention "high temperature composters" because I recently read of this cock-up by Welsh local authorities: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/4152769.stm
Typical short-sighted idiocy.

In Sweden they also have a national "pant" (deposit) system on most drinks containers: glass (usually 4½p, sometimes more), cans (4p), light plastic bottles (8p or 16p, depending on size) and large heavy-duty PET bottles, eg 2litre Fanta (32p).

You pay this deposit up-front at the till, and then take them back to the supermarket, pop them in the automated machine, and get your money back. Just like the Barr's Irn Bru system, but on a much bigger scale.

It helps keep litter down. Many small independent retailers regularly visit Poland, Germany and Estonia for supplies, so these bottles do not have a deposit. But most still get recycled anyway.

Stuart,

Thanks. The Germans seem to have similar systems which we encountered in Berlin, although I didn't really understand the detail.

Sorry to take so long to respond but each time I look at the comments there are 50-odd spam to delete. I am going to try to set up some authentication so that you can comment direct without this so-called moderation. At the moment I even have to approve my own comments!

Simon