Waste refers to any substance that has undergone primary usage and has been discarded. The reason for discarding is based on the fact that it may be defective or has no use after primary use. Waste comes from sources such as the municipal, the household, radioactivity and waste water. Household waste includes such things as kitchen refuse or trash; waste water includes such elements as sewage water which contains water from households or other areas of human activity and has no further use. Also, waste water includes the water that results from surface runoff; radioactive waste comes from radioactive elements such as uranium which react and release certain elements.
Production of Energy from Waste
Sweden has succeeded in converting waste produced into energy that can be used to do other important things. Sweden has been tipped as the leader on a global scale in matters that involve the conversion of waste into useful energy. Statistics indicate that 49% of waste developed at a household level was converted into useful forms of energy. This measure represented 232.6kg of waste per every individual in that country (Williams, 2011) . With continued use of waste in the conversion to energy forms, the use of fossil fuels has considerably waned. VafabMiljo, for instance, is a city infamous for converting waste into biogas form. The biogas is then utilized in the fueling of buses in Vasteras city (Williams, 2011) . Malarenergi has a plant that combines the production of heat and power known as (CHP). The area is known for making use of waste from forestry as feedstock. The incineration method of handling waste provides an avenue that can be exploited to transform what people consider as being waste into a useful product.
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The waste-to-energy program in the United States kicked off well in the 1970s and the 1980s but started declining. In the year 2009, statistics indicated that just 12% of waste generated in the households representing 85.7kg per individual was used in the conversion to energy forms (Williams, 2011) . The facilities that the United States makes use of in the generation of energy came up in the 20th Century. The facilities were utilized for the production of steam which was dirty by comparison to the ones used in Sweden. The facilities that were used in the waste-to-energy transformation could not address such issues as the threats which were posed by waste such as lead and dioxin which produced emissions which were poisonous in nature (Williams, 2011) . Waste-to-energy facilities were forced to shut down because of the regulations which were formulated such as the Maximum Achievable Control Technology. Such regulations led to consequences such as the retrofitting of Air Pollution Control systems in facilities which made smaller facilities unable to comply with the retrofits to be phased out of the practice of producing energy from waste.
Recycling in Sweden and the United States
Separation of waste in Sweden is something that is done at the source. Waste is brought to points where recycling is done. The points where recycling is scheduled to be done is usually not manned and is also known as the central station for recycling. Alternatively, household waste can be collected in a mixture containing different materials and separation done at the MRF (Material Recovery Facilities) (Williams, 2011) . There are recycling facilities tasked with the responsibility of preparing the materials that have been collected for them to be subsequently reused at a later date. The Swedish recycling infrastructure is credited for a recycling rate that ranks at 49% making Sweden a forerunner when it comes to recycling (Williams, 2011) . The Swedish Waste Plan acknowledges the importance that is observable in the recycling system that Sweden uses. This system enhances the recycling of materials regarded as waste materials. The National Legislation on Recycling is the one which is largely responsible for the management of waste that takes place in Sweden. The Producer Responsibility Organization has the task of setting up of viable infrastructure to help in the collection of materials used for packaging and newspapers. The extended responsibility that a producer is tasked with not only takes care of packaging and paper but also cars, tires, batteries, pharmaceuticals and electrical products too.
The United States has curbside Recycling programs aimed at running its recycling agenda. For instance, New York was reported to have just about 1500 curbside programs (van Haaren, Themelis, & Goldstein, 2010) . The curbside programs in the United States are recorded to serve just about 87.9 million people across the country (van Haaren, Themelis, & Goldstein, 2010) . There are also places where there are composting yard trimmings. Curbside collection entails the garbage riding services that a household receives from institutions such as the municipality. In such kind of collection, purpose built vehicles are used to pick waste obtained from households into various containers while following the prescriptions given by the municipality on the kind of waste which needs to be picked. The United States makes use of a protocol aimed at establishing control in the type of items considered for recycling to recycle its waste. The protocol establishes estimates to be used as the tonnages for recycling. Things like metals and plastics require special attention when recycling them because they have certain effects to the environment especially when recycling involves activities which lead to some change to the original material. The number of people involved in recycling in the United States Stands at 35% which is lower than that of Sweden. This means that the level of recycling in the United States is not the same as that of Sweden. The United States places a fine of $500, community service with an option of both (van Haaren, Themelis, & Goldstein, 2010) . Sweden on its part imposes a fine of $130 to individuals who are guilty of littering (Williams, 2011) .
Environmental Impact
Management of waste leads to various environmental impacts. Using waste to produce energy leads to the production of greenhouse gasses which are not good for the atmosphere; Gasses such as carbon (ii) oxide and carbon (iv) oxide are produced which are responsible for the greenhouse effect.
Conclusion
Waste is the kind of product that is left after primary use has taken place. Waste is considered to have no further use. The places which are fond of producing waste are the households, the factories, and the municipals. Sweden has successfully used waste to generate energy to supplement the energy produced from other sources. The United States on its part has managed to produce energy from waste but in limited amounts because of the legislation that has led to smaller companies leaving the business of converting waste into energy to the enterprises that are larger in terms of capital. The United States uses curbside programs to take care of its waste problem. 35% of the people in the United States are involved in the recycling of waste compared to 50% of the Swedes.
References
Van Haaren, R., Themelis, N., & Goldstein, N. (2010). The State of Garbage in America. Retrieved November 6, 2016, from Biocycle: https://www.biocycle.net/images/art/1010/bc101016_s.pdf
Williams, M. (2011). Waste-to-Energy Success Factors in Sweden and the United States. Retrieved November 6, 2016, from Acore: http://www.acore.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/WTE-in-Sweden-and-the-US-Matt-Williams..pdf
