Legal framework

By building up a legal framework for mandatory waste handling and sorting, covering all companies and households, and by licensing waste transportation companies, a solid basic infrastructure was established during the 1970s and 1980s. On top of this a fee- and taxation system urges municipalities and companies to use as much of the solid waste for power generation as possible.

Chemical and solid waste

Denmark has thus secured collection and differentiation of the waste streams: all chemical waste from companies and households are collected for safe storing or incineration. Solid waste from households, companies and construction sites & demolished buildings are sorted, incinerated, stored for biogases, deposited or re-used; it is mandatory to sort out specific fractions of paperboard, plastics, glass, metals etc. to be collected and re-used.

Creating very cheap energy supply

Since the 1930s waste incineration for energy and heat power plants have been established, and today over 20 municipal, combined power- & heat generating stations are running. This is shaping a competitive market for dry, solid waste, and creating very cheap energy supply. In many municipalities sorting and gathering of wet waste from households and companies is used for biogas production (in turn animal fodder and electricity), incineration (due to health-safety), and for composting.

Nature free from problematic waste

By various voluntary environmental programs, fees and levies, open landscapes and nature is in Denmark free from (OK not entirely) bottles, tires, batteries and other kinds of problematic waste. Worn-out tires and batteries are handed in for re-use; bottles and cans are handed in and recycled. A whole market of gathering, distributing, sorting and manufacturing used tires and bottles is well organized and controlled.

Tours about waste for recycling, energy and re-use

We pay visits to a number of sites, companies and authorities who participate in keeping up waste handling for a more energy efficient and cleaner Denmark.

Day 1: Policy
Morning:	Meeting with representatives from Ministry of Environment concerning policies and strategy towards recycling and re-use. Planning infrastructure, incentives by fees, enhancing recycling and incineration. Discussion with the Danish NGO - The Ecological Council. Site: Copenhagen.
Afternoon:	Meeting with the Regional Association of Municipalities and Region Zealand in Denmark concerning the actual situation and the municipal responsibility of waste handling. Site: Sorø
Day 2: Waste Incineration
Morning:	From solid waste to heat and electricity. Visits at KARA-Novoren, Roskilde. Presentation of energy efficiency, waste sorting streams and pollution prevention, competitions on energy from full dry waste. Problems in wet waste incineration.
Afternoon:	From Bio-waste to biogas, electricity, fodder, and fertilizers. Visits to a biogas plant in Holbæk, Snertinge or Hashøj. Presentation of necessary infrastructure, waste gathering and handling, efficiency, pollutants, savings in CO2 and economic-technological preconditions etc.
Day 3: Municipal recycling
Morning:	Municipal strategy towards recycling, re-use and control systems. Meeting with representatives of a Technical department in Roskilde, Holbæk or Lolland municipality. Presentation of sector coordination with environmental permit system, licensing waste infrastructure elements, quality control of waste
Afternoon:	Visits to municipal recycling sites and deposits for construction material, electronics, household waste, metal, plastics etc. at Roskilde or Nakskov municipality areas.
Day 4: Solid waste recycling
Morning:	Visit to Kroghs Flaskegenbrug A/S, Solrød that receives bottles for sorting and washing in order to recycle glass bottles outside the refund system. Presentation of environmental profile, technology flow and infrastructure. Visit to Lyckebye Industrial A/S a company located in the village of Naurbjerg in Solrød Municipality. The company makes resins for bottle labels based on potato and milk enzymes, thus enabling easy reuse of bottles in the refund system. Visit to Uniscrap A/S in Næstved, a company of waste sorting and recycling of paper and carton, metal, plastics and electronics. All waste is received from municipal waste dumping sites, or recycling sites. What are the recycling percentages, how does the EU´s WEE directive influences waste handling, what are the environmental and climate profiles?