Waste

Managing the whole waste chain

The Finnish society, both industry and consumers, are recycling friendly and Finns have extensive experience in working with recycling systems. Most towns and cities separately collect biodegradable waste and use it in composting plants.

As population centres in Finland are located far apart and are smaller than average, Finland has had to develop cost-efficient methods for collecting and source separation, for example.

Stringent objectives for waste and material recycling and efficient organic waste management have generated new technologies in waste recycling, waste-to-energy solutions as well as composting and digestion of organic waste.

A typical Finnish feature is material recovery and co-combustion of recovered renewable energy fuel (REF).

Compared to conventional waste incinerators, REF combustion generates better energy efficiency and less harmful emissions.

Waste incineration has the potential to cut one-seventh of current global emissions.

Finnish companies also offer expertise in landfill technology including gas collection and treatment, landfill compacting and special landfill structures.

Forestry, agroforestry, watershed management and erosion control, especially at agricultural fields and urban erosion, are very well covered in Finnish cooperation with the developing countries.

Finland has also built up especially strong expertise in consulting services and can offer technical solutions in watershed management and erosion control, risk-based management of contaminated land and prevention of soil contamination.

More information:

Finnish Environment Institute