Europe’s Biggest Waste Producer Strikes Deal to Burn Less Trash

(Bloomberg) -- Denmark plans to incinerate less trash and won’t accept as much waste from other countries in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, the government announced on Tuesday.

Denmark has long struggled with its status as a prolific producer and burner of waste, as it targets cutting its carbon footprint by 70% in 2030. It currently generates more trash per capita than any other European country, according to the Climate Ministry in Copenhagen.

Now, Denmark’s parliament has agreed to cut capacity at its waste incineration plants by 30%. The deal means Denmark will accept less trash from other countries, including the U.K. and Italy, which have so far sent their excess garbage to be handled in Danish plants.

In 2016, Denmark imported about 364,000 tonnes of trash from across Europe. The government had originally proposed to privatize the plants, which are currently run by local municipalities, but failed to win support for the idea in parliament.

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