Recycling in Norway
At 385,000 km² Norway is slightly larger than Germany in area. Population density is a low 17 people per km². But in waste treatment, especially recycling, Norway is right up there with the leaders. It recycles the maximum amount of valuable raw materials, and most of what remains is used for heat and electricity generation. Norway has 356 municipalities. Due to the low population density, it is common for several of these to join up to form an “interkommunalt selskap,” or IKS, that handles waste disposal jointly. Øvre Romerike Avfallsselskap IKS (ØRAS) and Agder Renovasjon IKS, which Christian Kulmer visited, are classic examples of this.