Compensation System for Recycled Slag Gravel

Company

Sysav is a leading waste management company that collects, processes, and recycles waste from households and industries. Over 98% of all waste received by Sysav is currently recycled. Sysav is also an important sustainability player, working towards a society with circular flows, sustainable production, and consumption, where unnecessary waste is eliminated. The company coordinates communication campaigns focused on everything from proper waste sorting to reducing consumption, organizes study visits for schools and visitors from around the world, and refines and develops new technologies – most recently a textile sorting facility, the first of its kind in the world – and much more. The vision is to create the world’s most sustainable region for this and future generations, in collaboration with its customers, partners, and residents of the 14 municipalities it serves in southwestern Skåne.

Project

Slag gravel is a recycled gravel material derived from bottom ash generated during waste incineration. The material has excellent technical properties and can, for example, be used as fill material in construction projects. Despite this, the use of slag gravel is still relatively limited, as waste legislation allows authorities to revoke previously granted approvals for its use. This means that already used slag gravel may, in the worst-case scenario, need to be excavated, resulting in significant cost risks for contractors and hindering the use of recycled materials.

To increase the incentives to use slag gravel, considerations are being made to establish a compensation system for potential cases where authorities may require the removal of slag gravel. Such a system could be organized in the form of a fund or insurance managed by material producers, but an in-depth investigation is needed to determine the best model for the compensation system. Questions to address include the rules the fund/insurance would have for payments, reimbursements, administration, etc. The idea is that this financial insurance/fund could provide support in the event that slag gravel may need to be removed in the future.

In this project, you will engage with stakeholders in the waste management sector, investigate whether similar funds/insurance systems exist to draw lessons from, and based on this, compile recommendations for structuring the system to promote increased use of slag gravel.

This is a highly relevant issue for Sysav, Avfall Sverige (Swedish Waste Management Association), and other stakeholders in the waste management industry. The findings from this project can provide significant value and hopefully resolve a key challenge in sustainable waste management.

Final limitations will be defined in dialogue with Sysav and university supervisors. Both students and the company should be aware that relevant academic foundations must be applied to the work.

Sustainability Goals Adressed by the Project