Almost a fifth is missorted in packaging collection
The 2025 waste composition analyses show that almost a fifth, 18 percent, of the material that Näringslivets Producentansvar collects from the municipalities is missorted. This concerns packaging that is left in the wrong recycling bin, but also waste that is not packaging. Missorting deteriorates the quality of the material and can lead to less material being recycled.
Among the missorted materials are, for example, toys, electronics, frying pans and envelopes, which residents have left in the municipality’s household packaging collection.
– Households do not always differentiate between packaging and other waste when sorting. This affects the quality of the material, and in the long run the amount of packaging that can be recycled. Batteries and pressure containers that are sorted incorrectly can also lead to fires in vehicles and at facilities, says Magnus Sandström, Team Manager Materials Handling at NPA.
Missorting can be reduced by:
- Producers labeling their packaging with clear sorting instructions.
- Municipalities continuously informing households about what can be left in the packaging collection.
- Municipalities and property owners helping households by marking waste receptacles and providing clear instructions on how and where different types of waste should be sorted.
- Households being meticulous in their source sorting and using sorting guides when they are unsure how to sort something.
Increased knowledge of composition and changes over time
The waste composition analyses provide an overall picture of the composition of the material NPA receives from the municipal collection of plastic, paper and metal packaging from households. Glass packaging goes directly from the municipalities to Svensk Glasåtervinning, which carries out analyses of the quality of the material for internal use.
– Waste composition analyses are statistically well-founded and are an important tool for monitoring how well the collection system is working and whether there are changes over time. It also gives us knowledge about the material quality of the packaging we deliver to sorting and recycling facilities. The better the quality, the more packaging can be recycled, says Magnus Sandström.
Analyses in several stages
The analyses are carried out by an external party and take place in several stages:
- Sample collection at all reception facilities in Sweden.
- Sampling according to a well-developed routine.
- Sorting of each type of material at a waste laboratory that separates packaging, other materials of the relevant material type and waste.
- Annual final report with a summary of the analysis.
NPA does not carry out sample analyses in individual areas, municipalities or counties. The results are presented at a national level and may therefore differ from individual analyses, for example carried out by municipalities.
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