Waste management

Annual global waste amounts total several billions tons and are increasing. The world must reverse this trend to avoid being submerged in waste. In emerging economies, such as India and China, municipal waste amounts are expected to increase 130 to 200 percent or more between now and 2030. This results in about 38 percent overall global growth.

Tightening regulations in Europe and in the USA also have a major impact on waste management business.

Forerunners in the waste-to-energy business

Finland has strong expertise over the whole waste management chain, including:

  • waste separation, collection and transportation, logistics and planning
  • waste recycling and reuse
  • waste-to-energy solu­tions
  • composting and digestion of organic waste
  • utilization of by-products, such as ash, slag and crushed concrete
  • landfill technology including gas collection and treatment
  • automation, measuring and monitoring wast management chain

Finnish technology providers are forerunners in the waste-to-energy business and the leading recycler of metal-based products in Northern Europe is from Finland.

Facts of the sector:

  • The EU could by 2020 be generating 45 percent more waste than it did in 1995, without strong measures. About two-thirds of waste is dumped into landfill sites.
  • Waste incineration has the potential to cut one-seventh of current global emissions

Companies