on Dec 29, 2025 (info@schwartzreport.net)
Laerke Christensen, Contributing Writer – Snopes
Stephan: Imagine: while the rest of the developed democracies, including the United States, are filling garbage dumps with trash, Sweden is importing other countries’ trash to provide electricity and heat for Swedish homes. This is what fostering wellbeing as a nation’s first priority looks like.
Image courtesy of Avfall Sverige
Sweden imports trash from other countries because it does not have enough to fuel its waste-to-energy plants that produce electricity and heating.
What’s True
Sweden imports millions of metric tons of trash from other countries per year, using the garbage to fuel its waste-to-energy plants.
What’s False
Snopes found no evidence Sweden would be unable to fill its energy needs without the imported garbage. Swedish energy companies charge countries for incineration of overseas trash, and officials from Sweden’s energy industry have said their plants are not dependent on imported trash for fuel.
Can one man’s trash literally be another man’s treasure, as the oft-repeated proverb goes? In late 2025, a claim (archived) circulated online that put a literal spin on the saying.
According to online posts, the country of Sweden imports trash from other countries because it does not have enough to fuel its waste-to-energy plants that produce electricity and heating.
Thanks to a top-tier recycling system and strong environmental values, less than 1% of Swedish household waste ends up in landfills. Instead, Sweden […]