Top 5 recycling nations - RANKED
Many countries pay lip service to the importance of recycling, but which ones do it best? Here are the five nations who recycle the greatest percentage of their overall waste...
5) SWITZERLAND: The Swiss national character places a high value on order and cleanliness- you can spend a couple of nights in jail simply for taking the recycling out on the wrong day- so it's no surprise they are among the best recyclers in the world. It actually costs a Euro to simply throw your trash away rather than recycle it. The government don't just bribe and coerce people to recycle though; there are also bottle banks at every supermarket, and free paper collections once a month. Switzerland are busy creating a culture where it is actively unusual not to recycle.
4) SOUTH KOREA: South Korea spends 2% of it's GDP on a Green Growth Plan, hoping to deliver environmentally friendly economic prosperity. Its recycling industry is booming, and major companies are on board. Each apartment block has a fastidious recycling system similar to the Swiss model, where recycling is free but merely throwing items in the trash costs you a small amount of money. Wherever you are in the world, it seems economic incentives are an effective way of convincing people to care about recycling.
3) BELGIUM- Some people consider Belgium's recycling program to be the best in Europe. The Flemish part of Belgium has the highest waste diversion rate on the continent, with nearly three quarters of its waste getting recycled or composted. What's more, the Flemish economy has grown significantly since 2000, yet the level of waste generation has remained consistently low; usually economic growth goes hand in hand with a rise in the production of waste.
2) GERMANY: Happily living up to their stereotype of efficiency, Germany does the best job of recycling its waste of any country on the planet. An average house will have five different types of bin, with four of them dedicated to categories of materials that can be recycled. The system can often prove daunting for foreign visitors, which goes to demonstrate just how much more advanced Germany is compared to the rest of the world in its attitude towards recycling. Indeed, with four of the countries on this list being in Central Europe, it seems that area of the world is setting the best example for everyone else.
1) AUSTRIA: Austria has taken a comprehensive approach to encouraging its citizens to recycle. The combination of economic incentives, the successful implementation of education and training programs, and memorable advertising campaigns have thoroughly convinced Austrian citizens of the value recycling, and helped turn Austria into the biggest recycler in the world.
3) BELGIUM- Some people consider Belgium's recycling program to be the best in Europe. The Flemish part of Belgium has the highest waste diversion rate on the continent, with nearly three quarters of its waste getting recycled or composted. What's more, the Flemish economy has grown significantly since 2000, yet the level of waste generation has remained consistently low; usually economic growth goes hand in hand with a rise in the production of waste.
2) GERMANY: Happily living up to their stereotype of efficiency, Germany does the best job of recycling its waste of any country on the planet. An average house will have five different types of bin, with four of them dedicated to categories of materials that can be recycled. The system can often prove daunting for foreign visitors, which goes to demonstrate just how much more advanced Germany is compared to the rest of the world in its attitude towards recycling. Indeed, with four of the countries on this list being in Central Europe, it seems that area of the world is setting the best example for everyone else.
1) AUSTRIA: Austria has taken a comprehensive approach to encouraging its citizens to recycle. The combination of economic incentives, the successful implementation of education and training programs, and memorable advertising campaigns have thoroughly convinced Austrian citizens of the value recycling, and helped turn Austria into the biggest recycler in the world.
