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Rental property owners waste collection
As a property owner, you are responsible for ensuring that residents can sort their waste correctly and that waste rooms function properly.
Updated:
Quick summary of each heading on the page
Please note that all forms, digital applications (e-services) and some linked websites are currently in Swedish. Contact Citizen Service if you need help in English.
Waste separation requirements
All apartment buildings must provide facilities to separate:
- Food waste
- Plastic packaging
- Paper packaging
- Metal packaging
- Glass packaging (separated into coloured and clear)
- Newspapers and printed paper
- Combustible residual waste
Food waste must be collected in special starch-based bags. Do not pour fat or oils into the drain. Small amounts can be wiped up with kitchen paper and placed in the food waste bag. Larger amounts must be taken to a recycling centre.
From 2025, textiles must also be separated.
Ceramics and porcelain
What used to be called “landfill” is now called ceramics and porcelain. Here you dispose of broken glassware, mirrors, ceramics, porcelain and porcelain fuses. Whole items should be taken to reuse.
Waste room requirements
Waste rooms must be clean, safe and easy to use. Collection staff must have a good working environment. Access roads and turning areas must be planned so that collection vehicles do not need to reverse. Snow and ice must also be taken into account.
As a property owner you need to plan waste rooms already at the construction stage:
- Calculate expected waste volumes, bin sizes and collection frequency.
- Ensure good ventilation and cleaning to avoid odours and pests.
- Place the waste room so that it is easily accessible to both residents and collection staff.
Soon you will be able to certify your waste room to show that it meets requirements for both environment and work environment.
Signage
Boden municipality has developed a common signage system for waste rooms. It is voluntary but provides a unified look. The signs use symbols recognised across Sweden and the Nordic region.
The pictograms are colour-coded and show clearly where each material should be disposed of. The signs can be printed in the desired size and placed in waste rooms.
Legal requirements and responsibilities
Since the 1990s it has been mandatory to recycle packaging. From 1 January 2024, municipalities are responsible for collecting household packaging. By 1 January 2027 all households must have property-based collection of packaging and food waste.
As a property owner you must:
- Provide bins for all legally required waste fractions.
- Contract a collection company authorised by Boden municipality.
- Inform your tenants about how to separate their waste.
In Boden, the following contractors are authorised:
- BDX Miljö AB
- Ragn-Sells Recycling
- Stena Recycling AB
You negotiate the price directly with the contractor and sign the agreement. If the contractor’s authorisation expires, your agreement also expires. When you have introduced full packaging collection, you will receive a municipal subsidy based on the number of households.
Background to the legislation
In 2022 the Swedish government decided that all municipalities must introduce property-based collection. The aim is to increase recycling and reduce litter in nature.
Municipalities must introduce the system step by step. In Boden, apartment buildings will be the first, followed by detached houses and holiday homes. All households must be included no later than 1 January 2027.
Reporting to the municipality
The municipality must report to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency how many households have property-based collection. Therefore, as a property owner, you must provide information about:
- Number of apartments, property designation and address
- Which waste fractions are collected at the property
- Size of the bins for each fraction
- How often the bins are emptied
- Which contractor collects the waste
- From which date the collection started
If you have not yet reported this information, it must be done as soon as possible.
Co-located businesses
Businesses that share bins with households, such as hairdressers or restaurants in apartment buildings, are considered co-located businesses.
They may apply to dispose of their packaging and food waste together with households. To do so, an application must be submitted to the municipality with information about:
- Company registration number and name
- Contact person with phone and email
- Address of the business
- Type of business and how waste is currently separated
- Name and contact details of the property owner
Businesses are not allowed to dispose of their packaging at public recycling stations.
waste room signs
Waste sorting guides
Waste that must always be collected
Other waste
Do you want to access a specific document? Contact Citizen Service, and we will help you retrieve and read the full document.
Contact
Citizen Service
E-mail: kommunen@boden.se
Phone: +46 921 620 00