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Businesses sort out too little packaging waste

There is significant potential for improved source separation among businesses, especially when it comes to packaging. This is shown by new figures from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, which for the first time has conducted large-scale waste composition analyses of business waste.
Förpackningar ligger på ett träunderlag och omger en återvinningssymbol

– This survey from the EPA is very valuable. The analysis confirms something we highlight in our report on how Sweden can reach its recycling targets—namely that source separation among businesses must increase. With more knowledge, we can do more to boost recycling, says Axel Naver, Sustainability Manager at Näringslivets Producentansvar.

Businesses, just like households, are required to sort their waste at source, including packaging. When waste goes to incineration instead, valuable resources that could be recycled are lost.

As the responsible producer responsibility organization, Näringslivets Producentansvar (NPA) has worked hard to expand collection points for business packaging waste across Sweden. This will make it easier for both small and large companies to drop off their packaging waste.

– Going forward, NPA will place greater focus on communication to help companies find and use the collection points. Another important part of increasing recycling from businesses is oversight of companies’ waste management, which are the municipalities responsibility. More initiatives are needed to boost source separation and share the good examples that already exist today, says Axel Naver.

At NPA’s collection points, businesses can drop off packaging waste free of charge. By January 1, 2026, there should be one collection point per municipality.

Here you can find a list of all collection points

Facts from the report:

  • The report presents data on the composition of business waste sent for incineration. This is the first time this waste stream has been studied on a large scale.
  • One-third of the business waste sent for incineration should have been placed in a separate collection system and could have been recycled.
  • About one-quarter of the material that went to incineration consists of packaging. Food waste, paper, electronics, and other hazardous waste also have their own collection systems.
  • More than half of the unsorted paper fraction was paper packaging. Of the unsorted plastic fraction, 38 percent consisted of plastic packaging.
  • Between July 2024 and February 2025, 166 waste composition analyses were carried out on waste delivered to eleven Swedish waste-to-energy plants.

Read the report ”Sammansättning av verksamhetsavfall som går till förbränning” (in Swedish only) 

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