Sweden

1) excluding packaging in deposit schemes, where recycling (reuse) rate is close to 90 %

Data 2013

Financing

Collection and recycling system costs approximately 1.5 million US dollars to run each year.

Part of the financing is done through the collected material value, but it does not cover the entire cost. The manufacturers pay a packaging fee. The charge is weight based and differs between the different materials and the household and commercial packages, depending on how they economically put pressure on the system.

There is no fee for newspapers, the companies behind the materials company Pressretur pays for the material and covers all the costs. Financing of glass packaging is administered with fees through Svensk GlasÅtervinning. Reports and payment are made monthly, quarterly or – for smaller companies – on a yearly basis.

How are the licence fees calculated?

The packaging fees are set by the material companies. They are based on weight and charged on the basis of reports submitted by FTI’s customers as a monthly, quarterly or yearly payment for the preceding period. Fees for glass packaging are paid directly to Svensk GlasÅtervinning 

The packaging fee is only to be collected at one stage. In principle, the packaging fee is to be paid by the filler. Further fees can apply, for instance the import fee on all sales, industrial and transport packaging around items that are imported or brought from another EU country. In addition, there is the fee for packaging used (packed or filled) in Sweden on all packaging which is added to goods or already packed goods: A fee is to be paid if the manufacturer has not already paid. 

To prevent all shops, catering establishments, restaurants, pizzerias, hot dog stands, consumers, bakeries, launderettes, banks, offices etc. from having to join just because they fill packaging, a fee for some packaging is charged to the manufacturer and the party which imports the packaging itself. This applies inter alia to plastic bags, standard bags/sacks, pizza cartons, cake cartons, hot-dog trays, plastic film and aluminium foil, wrapping paper, salad containers, disposable cutlery, etc. These packages are called service packaging and special regulations apply to them. Companies which manufacture or import service packaging have to pay a packaging fee for this. (There is an option to let a subsequent party – e.g. a packaging wholesaler – “take over” the obligation to pay the fee, which however requires an explicit agreement between the parties concerned and FTI.)