96% of household waste in Malmö is collected. That which can not be recycled or reused is used to create biogas (mainly organic waste) or burned in the waste-to-energy facility.
Organic and food waste
In Malmö it is more and more common for households to sort food waste. Today, 9% of the households in Malmö collect their food waste and in 2015 it will be 40% of the households. Food waste is primarily collected to produce biogas for vehicle fuel.
The Turning Torso, one of Malmö´s most famous landmarks, is also a symbol of Malmö´s attention to the eco-cycle. Each of the 147 apartments in the Turing Torso have a garbage disposal in the kitchen sink which digests food waste and then disposes it to a central collection tank. This organic sludge is then used to generate biogas.
A city built on district heating
District heating in Malmö is already well-incorporated, initiated in the city already in 1959. Today a large portion of the city is connected to this grid — one of Sweden´s largest district heating networks. Simultaneously, much of Malmö´s heat energy is provided by so-called ‘waste´ sources. Approximately 25% of Malmö´s heat energy is produced by the city incinerator via waste-to-energy and 16% of the district heating is provided by hot water, warmed by excess heat release from major industrial activities in the city.
Biogas buses
Malmö´s entire bus fleet is engineered to run on gaseous energy sources. Since fall 2008, about 42% of city buses utilise biogas extracted from food waste. As the production of biogas increases, an even larger percent of Malmö city buses will run on biogas.
Recycling is a common trend in Malmö
Waste separation and recycling are commonly practiced amongst Malmö residents, as part of modern urban lifestyle behaviours. To help facilitate this behavioural trend, the municipal housing company, MKB, has constructed weather-proof complexes (miljöhus) to support waste separation in most of the apartment complexes managed by the company. Each miljöhus has separate containers visibly labelled, often with visible images, to recycle glass, newspaper and paper, cardboard, metal, plastic and batteries, as well as the accommodate the remaining waste.
