The World in 2030

156 The World in 2030
This situation will change as energy prices rise (assuming no
‘wild card’ new technology emerges which can produce very
cheap energy), as legislators get tougher about protecting
the environment and as consumers become much better
educated about the costs that their existence places on the
world’s environment.
Germany, the Scandinavian countries, Austria and
Belgium have long been leading the way on recycling as
a whole and on plastics recycling and energy recovery in
particular. A combination of strict legislation and public
education has pushed recovery rates in these countries over
80 per cent. On the other hand, citizens of countries such
as Greece and the United Kingdom have been behaving as
irresponsible profligate consumers, historically recycling less
than 10 per cent of their potentially recyclable waste. This is
changing rapidly, however.
In March 2007 the International Herald Tribune published
a report on recycling activity around Europe and, although
not an exhaustive survey, the trends are encouraging. In
Paris, plastic not suitable for economic recycling is burned
to produce heat for apartment buildings and plastic suitable
for recycling is processed locally. 301
In London, there is a heartening trend towards increasing
the amount of recycling (which was at a very low level) 302
while in Sweden, recycling is mandatory and is paid for by
industry and the consumer. 303
Italy has also legislated to enforce recycling and in
Milan many plastics are recycled to make parts for the local