Waste management for businesses

Shops and retail

From July 1, 2026, retail businesses will be responsible for managing all of their municipal waste themselves. This means that businesses are responsible for:

• sorting waste in accordance with applicable regulations
• engaging contractors with the necessary permits
• ensuring that waste is transported and treated correctly
• complying with the Environmental Code and the Waste Ordinance.

The municipality will no longer be responsible for, among other things:

• residual waste
• food waste
• bulky waste
• hazardous waste
• sludge from grease separators belonging to retail businesses.

The legislative change does not affect waste that is already covered by extended producer responsibility (EPR). This includes, for example:

• packaging
• electrical waste
• batteries.

Such waste must continue to be handed over to producers’ collection systems or other approved recipients.

Whether a business is covered by the new rules depends, among other things, on its primary business activity and its Swedish Standard Industrial Classification (SNI) code. Retail businesses are generally classified under SNI code G47, while market traders are not covered by the new regulations.

Animal By-Products (ABP) – Category 3

Products containing meat, eggs, or dairy are subject to specific regulations. They must be transported in vehicles registered with the Swedish Board of Agriculture, and all vehicles and containers must be cleaned and disinfected after use. Each shipment must be accompanied by a commercial document to ensure traceability. If ABP is mixed with other waste, the entire load is classified as ABP.

The biogas facility in Boden is approved by the Swedish Board of Agriculture to receive Category 3 animal by-products.

Restaurants and cafés

The municipality remains responsible for municipal waste from restaurants and cafés, such as residual waste and food waste.

• Food service businesses are also subject to requirements regarding the reduction of single-use products and the sorting of packaging waste at the place of service.
• Packaging and food waste must be sorted separately and managed in accordance with applicable legislation.
• From July 1, 2026, however, used cooking oil and fat will no longer be covered by the municipality’s responsibility. Restaurants and cafés will therefore be responsible for arranging the collection and treatment of waste such as used frying oil and collected cooking oil. Please note that used cooking oil and fat is not the same as sludge from a grease separator.

A business may consist of several different activities. It is the business’s primary activity that determines whether the waste is covered as a restaurant/cafe or as a shop/retail.

Textile Waste

Textile waste must be sorted separately from other waste and managed in accordance with applicable legislation. Businesses should prioritize reuse and, as a second option, material recycling.

Branded Workwear and Logos:

The store is responsible for removing logos and other branding from staff or work clothing before handing it over to the municipality. Clothing that cannot be reused by others must not be submitted without first being de-branded.

Sorting Requirements in Stores:

Textile waste generated in-store, such as damaged returns, must be sorted separately. It may not be disposed of as residual waste. Only textiles that are impossible to reuse or even recycle as material may be classified as residual waste.

The Store’s Action Steps

1. Repair First
   Offer repair of damaged returns before delivering a replacement product.
2. Find New Uses
   Fix, refurbish, or donate workwear and products to customers, other businesses, or organizations.
3. Creative Reuse
   Example: turn worn-out workwear into reusable shopping bags instead of discarding them as waste.

FOOD WASTE AND USED COOKING OIL

Since January 1, 2024, food waste must be sorted separately from other waste. Food waste may not be incinerated or used as animal feed and must be managed in accordance with applicable legislation. Packaging must be separated from its contents before recycling, with certain exceptions for hazardous waste and pharmaceuticals. In Boden, food waste is recycled into biogas.

Used cooking oil and fat

From July 1, 2026, used cooking oil and fat from commercial activities will no longer be covered by the municipality’s responsibility. Businesses that generate used cooking oil and fat, such as frying oil and collected cooking oil, will be responsible for arranging the collection and treatment of this waste themselves.

Used cooking oil and fat must be collected separately and must never be poured down the drain. Please note that used cooking oil and fat is not the same as sludge from a grease separator.

Packaging

Packaging must be separated from its contents before being sent for recycling. Exceptions apply to certain types of hazardous waste and pharmaceuticals. Packaging can be separated from its contents either at the business premises or by a contractor hired by the business. The packaging and its contents must then be managed in accordance with the waste hierarchy to ensure that as much material as possible can be reused or recycled.

• Businesses may not leave their packaging at recycling stations, as these are only intended for households.
• Smaller quantities may be taken to a recycling centre. Larger quantities must be delivered to a collection facility or collected by a waste contractor.
• In Boden, the collection facility is operated by Miljö och Teknik i Kangos AB.
• The producer responsibility for business packaging is managed by Näringslivets Producentansvar (NPA).

Boden’s packaging collection facility is operated by Miljö och Teknik i Kangos AB and can be contacted via nicklas.heikki@miljoteknikab.se or by phone at +46 70 550 28 25.

Office and recovered paper

From July 1, 2026, businesses will be responsible for arranging the collection and treatment of office and recovered paper themselves.

• offices
• schools
• hotels
• restaurants
• retail businesses
• other commercial activities

For businesses to take responsibility for managing this waste themselves, it must be kept separate from waste streams that are still covered by the municipality’s responsibility.

Producer responsibility for businesses

Companies are responsible for ensuring that products and packaging they place on the market are collected and recycled. Producer responsibility applies to:

• Packaging
• Plastic products (such as single-use plastics, wet wipes, filters, balloons, fishing gear)
• Electrical equipment
• Batteries
• Tyres
• Cars
• Pharmaceuticals (regulated by the Swedish Medical Products Agency)
• Radioactive products and orphan sources (regulated by the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority)

Producer responsibility means that companies must design products that are resource-efficient, recyclable and free from hazardous substances.

Tyres

Companies that sell, import or manufacture tyres in Sweden are covered by producer responsibility. They must join or establish an approved producer responsibility organisation for tyre collection and recycling. Used tyres are not accepted at recycling centres.

EXEMPTIONS AND REQUESTS FOR CONTINUED MUNICIPAL MANAGEMENT

Request for continued municipal waste management

From July 1, 2026, businesses will be responsible for managing municipal waste from retail activities, used cooking oil and fat, and office and recovered paper themselves. However, the municipality retains a legally regulated secondary responsibility for these waste streams.

If reasonable options for using private waste services are not available, a business may request that the Municipality of Boden continues to manage the waste.

A request may be approved if:

• there is an insufficient supply of private waste services
• transport distances are unreasonably long
• waste management services are only available under unreasonable contractual conditions.

Requests should be submitted by email to avfall@boden.se and must include information about the business, the type of waste covered by the request, and the reasons for the request.

Exemption from separating packaging from its contents

If a business is unable to separate packaging from its contents, it may apply for an exemption from the Environment and Building Committee. An exemption may be granted if separation is technically impossible or if the disadvantages are considered greater than the benefits.

In Boden, packaged food waste can be accepted at the biogas facility, but an exemption is always required. Unnecessary transport packaging and outer packaging must be removed before the waste is submitted for treatment.