People worldwide are realizing the importance of recycling, and several governments are creating recycling programmes to boost efforts. More and more cities are joining in to create policies to ensure they waste as little as possible while developing innovative ways to deal with waste. Some have been more successful than others, especially in Europe.
BusinessWaste.co.uk, a waste collection expert company, has compiled a list of some of the top cities worldwide for recycling, and five of them are in Europe. Here they are:
- Copenhagen – With a lofty goal of achieving a 70% recycle rate, Copenhagen does door-to-door collections to make recycling as easy as possible for citizens. The city plans to become a zero-waste zone by 2050.
- Helsinki – Despite the challenges during frozen winter months, Helsinki recycles an impressive 58% of its waste. The city has been improving its eco-credentials by launching green taxis and implementing schemes to recycle plastics and construction waste.
- Leeds – This green city diverts approximately 40% of all its waste from landfills. Recycling initiatives include placing over 180 on-street recycling points around the city, which tripled city-center recycling rates to 49%.
- Vienna – This innovative city launched its first recycling plants in the 1980s. There are recycling containers all over the city, and waste management is kept in-house instead of shipping it out.
- Stockholm – This city’s recycling efforts are exceptional. Stockholm converted half of its waste into energy in 2019 and recycled 84% of cans and bottles. Even clothing recycling is a big thing in Stockholm, with fashion giant H&M offering garment recycling options in stores throughout the city.
According to BusinessWaste.co.uk spokesperson Mark Hall, many countries are lagging when it comes to waste disposal. Hall believes that cities should adopt waste reduction policies in the next decade to reduce negative effects on the planet.
