Environmental and Recycling Information

As one of their attempts to make our community more environmentally conscious, the City of Göteborg (Göteborgs stad) has published an eco handbook which is a must for every household. An English version is available. Contact the Göteborg division of the Environmental & Health Protection Agency (MHTF – Miljö- och hälsoskyddstjänstemannaförbundet) at 031-61 26 10 for a copy.

Swedes are enormously conscientious about recycling, and you should familiarize yourself with these procedures. Be sure not to throw your soda cans and bottles into the garbage! There is a refundable surcharge (called pant, which varies from 50 öre to 4 crowns) when one buys almost any bottled or canned drink. After returning these containers to the recycling stations at the grocery stores, the machines will give credit in the form of coupons (pant kvitto) which are redeemed at the checkout register. There are separate machines for cans (burkar) and bottles (flaskor). Ask a store employee for help in using the recycling machines if you’re unfamiliar with them. In the parking lots of major shopping areas and also at various points throughout the city, you will find containers for recycling newspaper, cartons, hard plastic, batteries and non-refundable glass. The glass containers are called igloos and are either green (for colored glass) or white (for clear glass). Wine bottles purchased at the liquor store (Systembolaget) can only be redeemed at the liquor store.

In Sweden, free access to the countryside and the right to gather berries, mushrooms and wild flowers from woods and fields are priviledges enjoyed by every member of the community. This is known as Allemänsrätten and is a priviledge guaranteed in only a handful of other nations. However, in addition to rights, there are also certain obligations and responsibilities which Swedes take very seriously. The following are a few of the points which you, too, are expected to remember:

• The countryside is open to everybody, provided you do not cause damage or disturb other people.
• Do not dispose of litter in the countryside.
• As a rule, you are entitled to cross other people’s land or water. But stay away from buildings, do not trample on growing crops, and do not cross cultivated fields or gardens.
• Do not pitch your tent close to a building. If you want to put up more than one tent or stay for more than one night in the same place, ask the owner first.
• You may pick any mushrooms, berries or wild flowers which are not protected by law.
• Do not touch plants, berries, fruit or grain growing on cultivated land or in fields and gardens. It is forbidden to cut down trees or bushes or to pick beechnuts, acorns or nuts.
• If you are boating or canoeing, you may tie up at temporary moorings and go ashore unless you are close to a house or visiting boats.
• Leave animals and birds in peace. Do not touch their young or disturb their lairs or nests.
• The hunting and capture of birds and animals are forbidden without a license. You may fish with hand-held tackle in the sea, but you will usually need to buy a license for fishing in rivers and lakes.
• Motor vehicles, including motorcycles and mopeds, must be kept on the road.
• Fires are prohibited wherever and whenever they could get out of control. Never make a fire on exposed rock or large boulders – heated rock easily cracks.
• Never wash or carry out repairs to a motor vehicle out in the countryside. Oil changes and other forms of service must be carried out at a garage or petrol station where there are proper facilities for the disposal of oily rags, degreasing agents and other products which could be harmful to the environment.